In a world of endless entertainment options, streaming services have become the dominant platforms for viewers seeking fresh and diverse content.
But the power of content is not only in its ability to entertain but also in its potential to stimulate authentic connections with audiences.
To this end, the ultimate demand of great content is one with unique storytelling perspectives one that transcends formulaic narratives and tired clichés that can quickly leave audiences disengaged.
Storytelling has certainly been an integral part of human history; a means of passing down knowledge, traditions, and values from generation to generation.
Although the methods have evolved, the goal of storytelling remains to entertain and connect with audiences in profound and meaningful ways.
Stories that resonate can create a deep and lasting impact on the viewers, stirring emotions and sparking conversations that transcend the screen.
Streaming platforms are, therefore, provided with two profound choices: deliver daring, unconventional, or original local stories to thrive, or continue to serve content that forces viewers to turn off their subscriptions.
Globally, the subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) market has experienced rapid growth over the past decade.
A recent report by PwC forecasts that the fast-growing industry will earn $14.8bn in 2025, up from $7.7bn in 2021, riding on an 85% growth of its internet access segment.
Expanding millions of dollars in resources into strategies to gain market leadership indicates existing streaming services have their sights on gaining a significant chunk of this market share.
But as they seek to become the go-to destinations for their intended markets, the platforms are faced with only one option if they will survive: to continue to adapt their storytelling.
Interestingly, with a dominant young population developing a growing interest in content streaming and steady advancements in access to internet connectivity, Nigeria has become a major choice market for streaming services.
Digital streaming providers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have ventured into the Nigerian market over the last four years with their SVoD services.
But faced with the daunting reality of thriving in the terrain, both United States of America-based platforms have been forced to localise a significant part of their content to meet the demands.
Despite these Nigerian market peculiarities, a streaming service provider that has no major challenges in understanding these audience demands of localised content and authentic storytelling is Showmax.
Since its entrance into the market almost four years ago, the streaming platform has navigated the terrain in an admirable fashion, delivering a slate of exclusive originals and multiple award-winning content.
Its repertoire of critically acclaimed originals includes the psychological thriller ‘Diiche,’ the drama series ‘Flawsome,’ and the mystery series ‘Crime and Justice Lagos’.
Showmax delivers as much authentic content for captivating viewing with its reality TV series. Last year, it localised the international reality TV franchise ‘The Real Housewives for the Nigerian audience, premiering.
The Real Housewives of Lagos to stunning reception. The show, starring some of Nigeria’s most celebrated divas such as Carolyna Hutchings, Iyabo Ojo, Chioma Ikokwu, Mariam Timmer, Laura Ikeji and Toyin Lawani-Adebayo, broke the record for the most first-day views on Showmax Nigeria.
The show’s success created a buzz of anticipation and excitement for the recently concluded The Real Housewives of Abuja.
Recently, ‘Wura’, Showmax’s first original telenovela, has become a darling among the streaming platform’s subscribers for its gripping storyline and exceptional acting.
Indeed, another pivotal driver of Showmax’s success in the country boasting Africa’s biggest movie industry, beyond its captivating storytelling, is its ability to break new big-screen stars.
The fiery performance of lead actress Scarlet Gomez in ‘Wura’, for instance, has thrust her into the stratosphere of the most respected actors in Nigeria, more so following her Best Actress nomination in the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).
Some of these originals have expectedly gone on to win prestigious honours at the AMVCA, a testament to Showmax’s quality production and delivery of authentic content. ‘The Real Housewives of Lagos’, for instance, has claimed a ‘Best Costume Designer’ award, while ‘Crime and Justice Lagos’ snagged the awards for ‘Best TV Series’ and ‘Best Picture Editor’ at the 9th edition of the ceremony held this year.
It is pertinent to note that Showmax’s original storytelling panache extends beyond movies and reality series to the game of football. ‘Jay Jay: The Chosen One’ is an animated series that reimagines the childhood of Nigerian football legend, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha. And in music, ‘Journey of the Beats’ is a docu-series that follows the inspirational journey of Nigeria’s Afrobeats to global recognition.
These spirited efforts to provide its vast subscriber base with unmatched storytelling and original content back Showmax’s tagline, ‘No one tells a story like we do’, as seen in its recently-launched first-ever master brand campaign in Nigeria.
The campaign, launched in May, is a celebration of the abundant stories available to be told in the country and seeks to exemplify Showmax’s dedication to telling them as an authentic Nigerian brand.
General Manager at Showmax Nigeria, Opeoluwa Filani, has said the campaign is an ode to the vibrant, larger-than-life attributes of Nigerians and Showmax’s dedication to telling their stories as authentically as possible through its slate of originals.
Filani, at the time of the brand launch, said “In Nigeria alone, we have over 300 tribes and thousands of untold stories. We can tell 300,000 stories in a year, and you will still find a new and exciting story to tell for the next 10 decades. That’s the beauty of our diversity.
As a brand, we believe it is our duty to tell these stories and tell them in their most original and purest form.”
The campaign signals a more exciting time in the future for Showmax subscribers, indicating access to more riveting, authentic stories with subscriptions as low as ₦1,200.
This dedication to delivering original content from a diverse library of exceptional storytelling explains why the streaming service continues to experience substantial growth.
Last year, it was estimated that the MultiChoice-backed streaming platform ranked ahead of other streaming platforms including Netflix in the Nigerian market share with 31.6%.
With its uncompromised delivery of value-for-money content to millions of users worldwide, the significant increase witnessed in the platform’s subscriber base in recent months was only a matter of time.
As Showmax continues to captivate its audience by delivering unconventional and original content through compelling storytelling, it effectively positions itself to stake a major claim in Nigeria’s rapidly growing streaming industry.
It is a critical way streaming platforms can be sure of significantly benefiting from the country’s projected $780 million SVoD revenue by the end of 2023, and an 11.91% compound annual growth rate between now and the next four years.
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