YouTube Now Go-to Platform for Nollywood Productions

While traditional cinema and paid streaming services will always have their place, the rise of YouTube as a distribution channel for Nollywood productions is believed to be driven by both necessity and opportunity, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

The incursion of digital platforms like YouTube has reshaped Nollywood. Many attribute YouTube as a major force behind this transformation. As someone acknowledged, YouTube has been a game-changer for Nollywood. It hitherto provides a global platform for films that might not make it to mainstream cinemas or streaming platforms.

Aside from the direct revenue generation through ads and brand sponsorships, local filmmakers who previously relied on cinema releases and streaming deals are beginning to realise the huge potential YouTube offers producers, allowing them to reach international audiences without the constraints of traditional distribution channels.

Interestingly, how streaming giants made some of these filmmakers sneer at YouTube as a dumping ground for Nollywood productions believed to be low-budget. Over the past months, Nigerians have witnessed YouTube channels becoming a new frontier for Nollywood films following the pullback by major streaming platforms like Amazon Video and Netflix.

In a stunning turn of events, some of the established names in the industry are now taking to YouTube to stream their movies in a big way. Notably, Kunle Afolayan; one of Nollywood’s renowned filmmakers turned to YouTube in January this year to launch titles like The CEO and Phone Swap, confirming it a viable alternative distribution platform with massive reach.

The move to release The CEO, his 2016 thriller, was driven by a desire to give a larger audience an opportunity to enjoy the film, giving it a new lease of life. “A good film is meant to be seen by people,” the award-winning filmmaker/director stressed. “Any good film stands a chance of being relevant forever.”

“As far as commercial content is concerned, Nigeria and South Africa are in the forefront,” he claims, “And then maybe Kenya. Most of other African countries have smaller members so distributors don’t pay a lot of attention.” DSTV Africa Magic initially took on the film, leveraging its reach across African countries and later Netflix gave it a global stage.

Afolayan disclosed that when The CEO was first released, it didn’t get much distribution across cinemas in other African countries due to limited attention given to countries outside of Nigeria and South Africa. By screening it on the global video-sharing platform, Afolayan made it more accessible across Africa and beyond through his YouTube channel, Kap Stream.

Also, recently, renowned actress/producer, Omoni Oboli took the industry by storm with a romantic drama, ‘Love in Every Word’, which has recorded a whopping 15 million plus views, despite a brief copyright hiccup that saw the film temporarily pulled from YouTube. Since its release on March 7, 2025, it has helped underscore the significant shift in film distribution landscape, redefining YouTube and changing the trajectory for Nollywood’s filmmakers.

The trend, however, isn’t entirely new. Veterans like Ruth Kadiri have also been instrumental in this regard, tapping into YouTube’s vast audience. Her original feature-length films consistently record an average of one million views across genres ranging from romance to comedy, thriller to epic narratives. Same as one Uchenna Mbunabo films to an extent.

Instructively, Kadiri, whose channel boasts over to 2.8 million subscribers have inspired a good number of others to take advantage of YouTube, though not without criticism. On her channel, Ruth Kadiri 247, she has built what effectively functions as a mini-streaming service, attracting approximately 2.85 million subscribers.

Today, a growing crop of young and established actors have turned producers and filmmakers, creating a new industry on YouTube. Other popular names like Uche Jumbo, Destiny Etiko, Ini Edo, Shirley Igwe, Ik Ogbonna have all embraced the platform. As reported, Etiko’s latest video accumulated one million views in just three days on YouTube.  

The growing importance of YouTube for Nollywood filmmakers is gaining momentum with keen observers following the trend. A recent article published in July 2024 offers reasons, personalised views why Nollywood is thriving on YouTube. It talks about YouTube—a free video-sharing platform owned by Google, launched in 2005 and accessible worldwide.

It’s the second most-visited website after Google Search. In 2023, YouTube generated over $30 billion in revenue. According to the article, back in 2013, it was $3.1 billion, considering what the revenue will be in another 10 years. It noted that as of 2022, with only 6.69 million users in Nigeria, the percentage of YouTube channels making seven figures or more in revenue (Naira) was up over 60% year-over-year.

So, why are your favourite actors flocking to YouTube? the article posed. “Simple: MONEY! More followers, subscribers, and views equal more money. Longer content? More money. Frequent content? You guessed it—more money!” It maintained that producing films in Nigeria is expensive.

“Making a standard cinema film costs a lot and returns are uncertain. If you’re not EbonyLife, Funke Akindele, or don’t have big names like Timini Egbuson, RMD, Shaffy Bello, or Adesuwa Etomi, your chances of breaking even in the cinema business are slim to none.”

But on YouTube, anyone—literally anyone—can make a film. If it’s good and people like it, you can make way more than you spent. “Most YouTube films are low to mid-budget, but that’s changing with big actors like Etim Effiong and Bimbo Ademoye now gracing the YouTube scene. Big producers like Omoni Oboli and Ruth Kadiri also have YouTube channels.

“YouTube is a low-hanging fruit for Nigerian filmmakers—they grab it, eat the hell out of it, and get paid heavily for it. Yes, they’re there for the money. But it’s not merely the money they get from streams and ads right now. I reckon they are thinking long-term.

“Imagine what they would be making in 10 years. It’s the same as people investing in the Afrobeats industry right now.  Now that you know why your faves are hell-bent on breaking into the YouTube market, I’m about to tell you why everyday Nigerians like me and you consume so much YouTube content – enough to make these people rich.

“As of 2022, 650 Nigerian YouTube channels had over 100,000 subscribers, and 35 channels had over one million subscribers. 500 hours of content are uploaded on YouTube every minute! YouTube is practically the digital content bank of the globe. So, why would Nigerians rather watch YouTube than go to the cinema?

“The reason is that YouTube movies have reminded Nigerians of their first love before cinema became such a big deal – the home video era, where films used to be mass-produced in VHS and DVDs and sold for cheap with extra-large titles on the covers – “BEYONCE VS RIHANNA” when it’s just Nadia Buhari and Omotola’s face-off…

“This was the era where kids who didn’t have video players at home stood around that one neighbour’s window, watching films. It’s the same advantage that other streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime and Showmax have over cinema, but the difference is that YouTube is the cheapest of all these options.

“The average Nigerian craves entertainment and they will get it no matter what. With a minimum wage of less than 100,000 Naira, how many Nigerians can truly afford to pay thousands monthly for a subscription? And why would they pay for that when they can easily download YouTube for free and have hundreds of movies at their disposal?

“So, who cares if the stories aren’t quite hitting the mark, really, right? Just as long as it satisfies the audience it was made for in the first place. Apart from Nigerians here, Nigerians in the diaspora and people from other countries can also easily access these movies without needing a paid subscription.

“YouTube has hundreds of Nollywood movies produced every year. It’s unlikely that every single one of them is badly written and produced. YouTube still has gems, just as Netflix, Prime, or cinemas have their share of epic fails. I may not consume a lot of YouTube content, but these creators are doing something right. They’re building their empires instead of waiting for a seat at the table.”

It emphasised that the community in the Nollywood YouTube scene is also truly formidable with the newbies. “They are a new Nollywood industry on their own. They have stars in the likes of Chike Dike, Maurice Sam, Ego Nwosu, Uche Montana, Sandra Okuzua, Onyi Alex, Chinenye Nnebe, Miwa Olorufemi and Too Sweet Anaan, to mention a few.

“Cinema and YouTube can coexist. We can watch ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ in the cinemas and return home to catch a new Uchenna Mbunabo film.” While traditional cinema and paid streaming services will always have their place, YouTube as one noted, is proving to be the next big thing for Nollywood’s growth, sustainability.

A filmmaker, Olatunbosun Amao provides detailed insight on the increasing use of YouTube as the go-to platform for Nollywood productions, and several factors are responsible for this shift.  Amao, who some months back launched his directorial debut – Troublous Weekend – on YouTube explains.

“First and foremost, there’s a serious limitation in distribution channels for Nollywood films. Traditional platforms like cinemas are not only selective in the content they accept, but also come with high financial barriers. It’s extremely expensive to get a film into cinemas in Nigeria, and for many independent filmmakers or smaller production houses, it’s simply not a viable option.

“Secondly, major streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which once offered promising alternatives, are either scaling back their investments or pulling out of the Nigerian market entirely.  This has created a vacuum that YouTube is now helping to fill.  Unlike these platforms,

“YouTube is accessible, relatively low-cost, and offers creators a direct-to-audience model, which is very attractive. In addition, YouTube gives filmmakers the freedom to control their content—how it’s released, when it’s released, and how it’s monetised.  With growing audiences both locally and in the diaspora, Nollywood producers are beginning to see the platform not just as a fallback option, but as a primary release strategy.

“So in many ways, the rise of YouTube as a distribution channel for Nollywood is a response to both necessity and opportunity. It’s democratising access to content and helping the industry stay alive and even thrive in a tough distribution climate.”

Amao said, films released on YouTube can be quite commercially viable—especially when approached strategically. While the platform might not offer the same kind of upfront payments or licensing fees that Netflix or Amazon once did, it opens up several other revenue streams that can be just as profitable, if not more, in the long run.

Amao also admits that one of the biggest advantages of YouTube is ad revenue. With consistent viewership and proper monetisation, YouTube allows filmmakers to earn directly from ads placed on their content. Channels with strong followings and engaging content often see significant earnings, especially when their videos go viral or maintain long-term watchability.

In addition to ads, Amao noted that there’s potential for sponsored content, product placements, and even brand collaborations—all of which are becoming more common as brands begin to recognise the influence of Nollywood on YouTube. Some production houses also diversify their income by using YouTube as a marketing funnel, leading viewers to paid platforms, physical merchandise, or premium content behind paywalls.

While the monetisation model is different, YouTube offers filmmakers a sustainable and scalable way to earn. With the right content, consistency, and audience engagement, it can be a very commercially viable option for Nollywood producers.

According to Amao, the commercial viability of films on YouTube also lies in its global reach. Nollywood films on the platform attract not just Nigerian audiences, but also a large diaspora viewership that might not have access to local cinemas or African content on mainstream platforms.