EbonyLife CEO Mo Abudu to Launch New Streamer EbonyLife on Plus

EbonyLife Media CEO Mo Abudu isn’t performed pushing worldwide boundaries for African storytellers and creators.

One of Africa’s preeminent media moguls, the resourceful London-born Abudu is on the point of develop the scope of her Lagos-based firm with EbonyLife on Plus, a brand new form of membership-based streaming service that may characteristic pan-African collection, motion pictures, speak reveals and life-style content material.

EbonyLife was initially created as an upscale TV community in 2012 and efficiently moved into characteristic movie and collection manufacturing, scoring offers with Sony Pictures Television and Netflix, amongst others.

The launch of EbonyLife on Plus comes at a vital time for the African filmmaking and inventive group, which has been in limbo since international streamers shifted course within the final 18 months after short-lived commitments within the area: Netflix reportedly pulled the plug on its Nigerian Originals, whereas Amazon Prime Video abruptly exited the African market altogether final 12 months.

“There’s a whole continent that needs to have a voice, their stories need to be told and they are producing but they no longer have a home for their productions,” she says, noting that “a lot of people are turning to YouTube as an option” which she says “shouldn’t be the only place.”

In an interview with Variety outlining plans for EbonyLife on Plus, Abudu says the streamer’s rollout will likely be a pure evolution of her work and mantra. “I’ve been in this industry for the past 20 years, and my primary focus now is on building a thriving ecosystem — one that encompasses production, distribution, and capacity building, both across the continent and in the diaspora,” she says.

EbonyLife has achieved a topnotch observe report in scripted, notably with the thriller miniseries “Blood Sisters,” a Netflix unique that garnered over 11 million hours considered in its first week alone; “Òlòtūré,” a dark-edged thriller film and collection about human trafficking; and “A Sunday Affair,” a romantic dramedy movie. The banner additionally entered the competition circuit with “Death and the King’s Horseman,” a movie adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s acclaimed anti-colonial stage play by the identical title which performed at Toronto in 2022.

Abudu hasn’t conceived EbonyLife on Plus as one other international streamer, she says, however reasonably a platform that will likely be bringing collectively a group round shared pursuits “rooted in purpose, identity and connection.”

“Do I have the budgets of Netflix and Amazon? Of course I don’t, and that’s why we’re being a little bit creative on the types of content that we are bringing to the platform,” says Abudu, who ventured into directing with the quick movies “Her Perfect Life” and “Iyawo Mi” in 2023. She says she isn’t trying to “compete with the Netflixes,” or turn into like a small-scale Amazon or YouTube platform.

Besides showcasing movies and collection, EbonyLife on Plus will boast a wholesome quantity of actuality and life-style content material skewing youthful (18 and up) feminine demographics, together with e-commerce.

“We’ll be curating African fashion, so if you’re looking for the latest designer outfit from Nigeria, you may find it on our portal,” Abudu says, stressing that “it won’t be a self publishing platform — we want it to be highly curated and by invitation.”

Abudu, who rose to fame within the 2000s together with her widespread daytime speak present “Moments With Mo,” will ship a masterclass each month solely for EbonyLife on Plus. She’ll additionally herald a podcast tailored from “Moments With Mo,” together with one other podcast titled “What Do Women Really Think?”

Aiming to enchantment to youthful subscribers, Abudu says “the new TikTok generation is looking for more exciting things than just the next drama,” which is why EbonyLife on Plus is “leaning toward looking at Nigerian creators on YouTube.” The service has already partnered with three YouTube creators to have them create content material for EbonyLife on Plus in-house as writers and producers. She notes that “even Netflix and all of these guys are now looking to YouTube and bringing the biggest creators on YouTube to their platforms.”

The inaugural slate of EbonyLife on Plus will embrace the corporate’s present library, together with a listing of Nollywood Gold classics which the corporate just lately acquired, and a set of movies from Sony Pictures that characteristic distinguished Black expertise. There will even be some unique scripted movies and reveals which she says will likely be “tightly scripted, with a limited cost and locations that we can afford as we start this journey.”

Anticipated scripted highlights on EbonyLife on Plus embrace “Hallelujah,” a household drama set a robust Largos church starring Uzor Arukwe and Bolaji Ogunmola, and an untitled movie that includes Omoni Oboli as a beloved media star whose picture-perfect life unravels. Other scripted content material will star Bolaji Ogunmola, Uche Jombo, Nancy Isime and Daniel Effiong. There will even be some lifestyle-driven specials celebrating African identification, resembling a present hosted by Nigeria’s dance icon Kaffy leads high-energy masterclasses in Afro dance kinds.

EbonyLife on Plus could have a tender launch in September (priced at $10/12 months in Nigeria and $30/12 months internationally), and Abudu says she’s presently speaking to traders and dealing with a monetary advisory firm in Nigeria on a capital increase.

While streamers have pulled out or scaled again investments throughout the continent, Abudu believes there’s nonetheless a world viewers for reveals and films produced in Africa, as “Baby Farm” just lately proved.

“Our co-production ‘Baby Farm’ has been extremely successful in Africa and Netflix then decided to distribute it to English-speaking countries, where it performed exceptionally well, breaking into the 
Top 10 Netflix charts in key markets including the U.K., U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines, among others. That tells you there is a big market and that people are ready to listen to our stories,” she mentioned, including that “Baby Farm” will even launch on EbonyLife on Plus exterior of Africa.

The prolific entrepreneur can be upbeat concerning the longer-term views for the continent. She sees the upcoming takeover of South African pay-TV large MultiChoice by Canal+ Group as a optimistic sign.

“I think Canal + sees the future in Africa and they’re right, because by the year 2050, one in five people in the world is going to be an African. We have the youngest youth demographic on the globe. So this is the future. They’re thinking long term,” says Abudu.

Aside from the streamer’s launch, EbonyLife is within the strategy of opening a cinema for African movies in South London, within the district of Wandsworth. Abudu reveals that she simply hosted the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, throughout his go to to Nigeria. “He’s excited about the fact that we are doing the first African cinema in the U.K.,” she says.

Elsewhere, EbonyLife is constant to work with a variety of worldwide gamers. Abudu says she’s obtained tasks within the pipeline with Idris Elba, Starz and Lionsgate in addition to Westbrook and IFC, amongst others.