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Just when it seemed Africa was left off Netflix’s plan for global content domination, the pioneers of binge-watching have hinted at plans to acquire more original content for the region.
Netflix is looking for a director of content acquisition for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa who will source local programming and acquire the global rights for shows and movies from the region.
Netflix’s success across the world has been driven in part by its focus on building local content as well as licensing popular Hollywood fare for markets around the world. The new role signals a move toward deepening localized content.
Despite optimism this means Netflix is taking the region more seriously, the entire continent of 54 nations is being lumped together with very different countries. Typically, multinational corporates and other international bodies put Middle East and North Africa as one region with Sub-Saharan Africa as another.
Apart from juggling languages—Turkish, Arabic, French, English, Portuguese, and more—there are political minefields hidden in plots. Netflix has clearly identified Turkey’s large local market with its soap operas and dramas exported to countries from Afghanistan to Chile. Yet, many of these shows also carry a political message, which may not go over well in the rest of the Middle East.
For filmmakers and producers, Netflix’s focus on Africa will be a boon. As the streaming service has expanded in Africa, it’s picked up films like the Nigerian box-office hit The Wedding Party, or Catching Feelings, a South African romcom. Thanks to Netflix’s disruption of the global television industry, stories about a chaotic wedding in Lagos or a crumbling marriage in Johannesburg will find a new audience. —Lynsey Chutel
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