Since the invention of Netflix, a movie streaming platform, which has also gone beyond just movie streaming to releasing Original movies/series, the cinematic world has taken a big hit on the number of people that are willing to sit down in a Cinema and watch a newly released movie. The fact that Netflix provides an essential service to what seems like a “Lazy” generation, bringing the experience of seeing a new movie in the comfort of one’s home, the war to captivate its target audience seemed like an easy one to win.
With Netflix’s relatively cheap monthly subscription which has the option of being billed automatically every month from the subscriber’s account, it has made the company a haven for movie lovers. You can’t even begin to decipher the audacity of Netflix into the production world as it debited its first series, the House of cards in 2013.
Netflix also employs convenience, being that one does not need to install huge dishes and decoders just to enjoy their services, all one needs is a working internet connection, a smart TV with a Netflix subscription and you are good to go.
Now, this blueprint is perfect in the western world and Europe where internet services are superb and relatively cheap and controlled, light and energy supply is constant, but not so ideal in some countries in Africa: NIGERIA.
NIGERIA, though called the Giant of Africa, with so many good things to boast about, have been plaque by its own share of corruption and bad government, leading to the pitiful situation She now faces, poor electrical supply and relatively expensive internet services.
A Nigerian who choose to stick with using the Netflix services would incur more charges than most would. Let me break this down.
For one to enjoy a 24 hours Netflix series or movie spree with friends and, or family, one has to take into consideration the following extra charges
Fuel for generator
With the issue of poor electrical supply, comes the alternative of burning fuel to provide light in the case of power shortage. This could mean spending more than five to ten thousand Naira on a fuel-powered generator, that is if one could afford a generator.
Internet connection
While those in the western world may not see this as a problem, it was an extreme shock to me when I first wanted to try the one month free Netflix subscription trail only to discover that unlike DSTV and Co, I had to have an internet connection to be able to enjoy my favorite shows. So what does this mean to an average NIGERIAN, it means you have to spend extra on an internet connection, after paying subscription money that is more than 3000 Nigerian Naira which by the way, is not so cheap, just to watch your favorite show, even after paying for a subscription (in case you decide to go with Netflix).
Most movies on Netflix would be more than on average, 500MB, which to stream a movie worth 500MB is equivalent to buying data worth 500MB This means that one would spend about which could cut close to a US Dollar equivalent of 500Naira for one.
To put this into perspective, if I wanted to watch a whole series which could amount to almost 10Gig, I would have to keep aside 20 dollars equivalent to 10,000 Naira to be able to stream it, now that’s expensive. And when you finally factor in poor internet service especially in some rural areas when the internet can be so slow that you may use 5 hours to stream an hour movie, Netflix might just not be the best of ideas.
Having all these in mind, one would rather opt to just wait for the show to be available for download, or go to the cinema or just watch it on DSTV, at least you don’t need an internet connection. In Nigeria, Netflix is seen as a package for the elites, the rich, and those who can afford to live the expensive lifestyle.
If you check the statistics, you will see that those elites are less than 10 percent of the NIGERIA population, meaning that Netflix isn’t affordable to almost 90 percent of NIGERIANS.
Just saying all these makes me sad because how can service as cheap and convenient as Netflix, become so far fetched when you factor in other “basics” such as electricity and internet, which has become a luxury for the average NIGERIAN.
And then the issue of Naira always devaluing with respect to Dollar. Today, one dollar is equivalent to N350, and tomorrow it becomes N500. So the cost of subscription keeps going up while one’s source of income remains constant or depreciates. This in itself, is a huge issue.
Could there be a way out?
Establishing a pay per view billing policy for Nigerians who wish to stream movies on the platform, and having a Netflix office in Nigeria could be the first step in understanding the integral situation of the country and remapping a blueprint that would be suitable for Her unique needs. If Netflix feels that a country of over 200M citizens could be a hub for its services and subsequently, growing the company, then it should consider this.
