Amazon Prime Video has doubled down on its commitment to content from Africa, signing its second licensing deal with a Nigerian studio in under a month.
The streamer has inked an exclusive multiyear global licensing agreement with Anthill Studios, the Lagos-based film production, postproduction and animation studio. Alongside cinema features including Prophetess, Day of Destiny and Elevator Baby, Anthill’s postproduction arm has been behind some of the top Nollywood titles. Meanwhile, its animation studio is reportedly the biggest in Nigeria.
The deal, announced Friday, will give Amazon exclusive, worldwide distribution rights to Anthill’s slate of theatrical releases, starting in 2022, which will be made available to Prime Video customers following their theatrical release in Nigeria.
“We are very excited to bring Anthill’s upcoming slates of popular Nollywood movies to Prime Video customers around the world,” said Ayanna Lonian, Prime Video’s director of content acquisition and head of worldwide major studio licensing strategy. “We want to showcase the very best of Nollywood and authentic African stories to our customers and this groundbreaking deal helps us to achieve that goal.”
Anthill founder and creative director Niyi Akinmolayan said that his company loves to explore genres and “go boldly” where most other don’t.
“This is why Amazon Prime Video is the right kind of home for our stories,” he added. “I am really excited because with this licensing deal, we can explore more story ideas, including genres new to Nollywood, like sci-fi and animation, for a global audience.”
The Anthill deal comes just three weeks after Amazon made its first foray into African content, signing a multiyear licensing agreement with Nigerian production house Inkblot Studios.
