Destination: Africa

Netflix sets its sights on Francophone Africa

By Léo Pajon

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Posted on March 23, 2021 18:54

Firefox_Screenshot_2021-03-23T11-22-56.626Z Yann Gael and Issaka Sawadogo, the two heroes of “Sakho and Mangane.” © Youri Lenquette for Canal plus
Yann Gael and Issaka Sawadogo, the two heroes of “Sakho and Mangane.” © Youri Lenquette for Canal plus

In the wake of the 100% African box-office hits ‘Queen Sono’ and ‘Blood and Water’, Netflix is planning to expand its presence into French-speaking countries across Africa, which may give the local film industry a boost.

Investigating Netflix is a real challenge. The secretive US streaming service doesn’t give many interviews and remains stingy when it comes to announcing figures. However, the little it does communicate reveals that it is thriving, in large part due to the ongoing pandemic.

In 2020, the group gained 37 million subscribers, which enabled it to pass the 200 million customer mark for the first time worldwide. And in Africa? It is impossible to know how the streaming platform is expanding its community on the continent, let alone country by country.

Only one figure is known: Netflix has 66.7 million subscribers for a vast area encompassing Europe, the Middle East and the African continent, i.e. 14.7 million more in one year.

One other thing is certain: the streaming platform is becoming more and more popular on the continent. Furthermore, the original series Blood and Water and Queen Sono h

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