Kunle Afolayan is not impressed with how many Nollywood producers now treat YouTube as their main home for new movies. In his view, it is not really a creative choice. It is money talking.
The filmmaker raised the issue while speaking with former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun. He made it clear that YouTube, for all its reach, still cannot compete with what Netflix and Amazon Prime Video offer producers who make it onto those platforms.
Afolayan does see a place for YouTube though. He described it as a good entry point, especially for younger or less connected producers who cannot yet negotiate deals with the big streamers or afford a proper cinema run.
“Nollywood producers rushing to YouTube is not the way to go. YouTube can never give you what Netflix and Prime would give you. However, it is the most flexible. It is for everyone. It is like a starting point. If you don’t have the strength to negotiate or access to the big players, you open an account and put your movie there. If people watch, you get your money,” he said.
He Blames The Naira, Not Taste
For Afolayan, the real story behind the YouTube boom is the exchange rate. With the naira as weak as it is, a producer whose video crosses one million views can walk away with a tidy sum in dollars once converted, and that is what is pulling so many filmmakers toward the platform right now.
But he does not think this will hold forever. If the naira recovers, he expects producers to lose interest in YouTube almost as quickly as they embraced it.
“Nigerian filmmakers are rushing to YouTube because of the dollar exchange rate. At ₦1,400 to $1, they celebrate 1 million views because it can bring in about $10,000. But if the dollar falls to ₦200, everyone will run away from YouTube. I pray the dollar to naira exchange rate comes down,” he added.
His remarks add to an ongoing debate in Nollywood about whether the current YouTube wave reflects a genuine shift in how films should reach audiences, or simply a response to hard economic times that could reverse the moment the naira finds its footing again.
