by Thinus Ferreira
Amazon Prime Video has signed another production output deal in Africa, this time with the Nigerian filmmaker Jáde Osiberu in a new three-year contract with her Greoh Studios to make original scripted TV series and feature films for the video streaming service.
Jáde Osiberu is behind the new Amazon Original, Gang of Lagos, which will be released later this year as Amazon Prime Video's first Nigerial original.
"I am overjoyed with this collaboration and already feel like I'm part of the Prime Video and Amazon Studios family," says Jáde Osiberu in a statement.
"It will be an absolute pleasure to introduce Amazon Prime Video audiences to the most exciting talent and storylines Nigeria has to offer, and I'm looking forward to continuing to help elevate Nigerian stories on a global scale."
Ned Mitchell, head of African and Middle East Originals at Amazon Studios and Amazon Prime Video, says "Collaborating with visionary and respected talent is foundational to delivering a curated and elevated slate of Originals for our local audiences in Nigeria".
"It is a joy to announce our collaboration with Jáde Osiberu in a deal that is the first of its kind for us in Africa. We are constantly delighted by Jáde’s talent for weaving her visual magic and voice into heart-stopping storytelling and characters that sear into our memories, and together we will create authentically African hits for our Prime Video customers worldwide."
In January this year Amazon Prime Video signed an output deal with Nigeria's Anthill Studios as its second Nigerian content licensing agreement, following a contract with Nigeria's Inkblot Productions in December 2021 as Amazon's first with any Africa production company.
Amazon Prime Video and rival streamer Netflix Africa are scouring the African continent to sew up output deals with production companies and talent, with Netflix also continuing to commission localised series in primarily South Africa and Nigeria.
MultiChoice's streamer Showmax is also focused on ramping up local content for its service, primarily focusing on South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya as MultiChoice's three biggest market across the African continent, and now also starting to move into Ghana.