by Thinus Ferreira
Amazon Prime Video has signed a second content licensing agreement with Nigerian producers, this time with Anthill Studios in Lagos, Nigeria.
Amazon Prime Video's contract with Anthill Studios follows after its licensing deal it signed with Inkblot Productions in December 2021, with the Anthill Studios deal that is both the second with a Nigerian production company, and the second with an African production company.
In Amazon Prime Video's licensing deal with Anthill Studios, starting in 2022, the video streaming service becomes the exclusive international streaming platform for Anthill Studios' slate of films in the window following its cinema release in Nigeria.
"We are very excited to bring Anthill's upcoming slates of popular Nollywood movies to Prime Video customers around the world," says Ayanna Lonian, Amazon Prime Video director of content acquisition and head of worldwide major studio licensing strategy, in a statement.
"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."
Niyi Akinmolayan, Anthill Studios founder and creative director, says "Films from Anthill Studios have always excited global audiences. This is largely because we believe in the power of authentic and original stories. We also love to explore genres and go boldly where most don't".
"This is why Amazon Prime Video is the right kind of home for our stories. 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."
