Nigeria’s film industry, Nollywood, is a global powerhouse in volume but faces daunting challenges in distribution.
With just about 103 functioning cinemas serving more than 200 million people, most Nigerians cannot easily access new films on the big screen.
The situation is worsened by high cinema ticket prices and rampant piracy.
Even online streaming, which promised a solution, is constrained by costly data, patchy internet infrastructure, low purchasing power, and region‑based restrictions that lock many viewers out.
In response, Nigerian film producers are turning to YouTube, transforming it into a vast digital warehouse for their intellectual and creative property.
The platform bypasses the barriers of geography and income, allowing films to reach both rural audiences at home and the Nigerian diaspora abroad. It also offers creators a measure of protection against piracy while generating revenue through ads and channel memberships.
This article spotlights some of the largest producer‑owned YouTube channels in Nigeria, examining their subscriber growth, longevity in the market, the volume of creative works they’ve released, and channel views.
- Subscriber count: 883K
- Channel Views: 145 million
Sandra Ese Osayamon Okunzuwa, a 29‑year‑old Nollywood actress, lawyer, and producer, is emerging as one of the industry’s most prominent digital players. Her YouTube channel, Sandra Okunzuwa TV, launched on October 19, 2018, has grown to 883,000 subscribers, with 611 videos generating more than 145 million views, according to platform data.
The Benin City native, who trained as a lawyer before entering Nollywood, has leveraged YouTube. The channel, branded as “the home where every story steals your heart,” has become a leading outlet for Nollywood’s mid‑budget dramas and romance films.
Okunzuwa debuted in 2018 with Blind Spot and has since built a portfolio that includes Widflower (2022), Something Like Gold (2023), and the recent Joe’s Heart (2025). Her growing visibility earned her a 2021 Eko Star Film & TV Award, and she co‑hosted that year’s Africa Choice Awards alongside Ike Onyema.
Her strategy mirrors a wider Nollywood trend: using YouTube as both a distribution channel and a hedge against piracy while cultivating international audiences.
Keep it up. I’m really enjoying your well informed platform.
dominated by females, laudable