Thinus Ferreira
South African producers are dismayed with Amazon Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios and Amazon Prime Video Africa after local creators got project development shelved, following Amazon's decision to reneg on promises to expand localised Prime Video Africa content.
Producers are telling TVwithThinus they're depressed, devastated and extremely disappointed with Amazon Prime Video Africa.
Like Netflix that is suddenly cutting back on content creation in South Africa and Africa - while MultiChoice is ramping up content spending and content creation for its new Showmax it's launching on 23 January in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal's Peacock - Amazon is suddenly pulling the plug on its promised expanded investment in African original content.
Amazon has suddenly decided that it's no longer doing further African originals for its Amazon Prime Video streaming service and retrenching staff who were appointed to expand Amazon's slate of Amazon Prime Video Africa originals.
One of thepeople let go is Gideon Khobane who joined Prime Video in South Africa as Prime Video Africa director just seven months ago.
Amazon Prime Video Africa's PR agency Ten x Collective said a media query should be made directly to Amazon PR in the United Kingdom. Stephen Barber, head of PR for Amazon in the UK provided no answers to the questions in the media query.
A South African producer on Thursday night told me that "The local production industry is extremely disappointed that Amazon is not giving us a chance to create the kind of programming we were hoping to collaboratively bring to the world, especially as it is a lot cheaper here to make productions".
"Promises were made and not kept. Why? Quality issues or worldwide cost cutting? Africa is just about the last continent that hasn't been saturated yet, both in viewers and in content. Why are they ignoring a potentially lucrative market?" the producer asked.
"The quality of projects made for the streamers has not been as good as it should have been. Amazon Prime has kept a beady eye on what Netflix has commissioned for Africa and South Africa, and has not been impressed."
"While the quality was okay for South Africa and the African market, it really is lacking compared to what is being produced elsewhere in the world. Streamers have a global market, and once the novelty of seeing African programming has worn off, the lack of quality severely restricts viewership."
The producer noted that "Both Ned Mitchell and Ayanna Ionian are still there, and they were the ones responsible for commissioning - and still are - even though they have new regional names."
"Amazon hasn't commissioned all that much in the past year, so it probably won't make that much of a difference. Colleagues have called it very depressing news and that it definitely will make things much harder for content providers, as it takes away competition and constricts the marketplace."
Another local producer described Amazon Prime Video Africa's shocking decision as "a very sad day for the industry, especially the creatives who were developing projects for Amazon and the local staff who were instrumental in getting them off the ground".
"Between the global effects of Covid, the double lockdowns, loadshedding, the US writers/actors strike, the ongoing struggles with the department of trade and industry (DTIC) and national instability, our creative industry is limping with many forced to leave the industry to find stability," the producer said.
"This move does, unfortunately, reinforce the idea that Africa and its creators are seen by international streamers as low cost labour, pretty locations and performative 'giving back' politics as opposed to a legitimate audience and marketplace," according to the award-winning producer.
"It should also serve as a reminder to local creatives that we should treat entities like these with caution, to view their involvement on the continent as an extension of cultural colonialism and not to be blinded by shiny logos that tell the world they're elevating African narratives."
"This does call for greater protections for the industry from governing bodies when it comes to how companies like Netflix, Disney, Amazon and Apple do business in our territories, be it a license on their service that can be channelled into local productions or a commitment to investment that is developed in conjunction with film bodies as opposed to decisions that are imposed from a head office in Los Angeles or Amsterdam."
"For South African audiences, I put forward the fact that brands like Showmax, MultiChoice, e.tv and the SABC are the true home of African stories and that, if it comes to choosing a platform to subscribe to, they opt for a local one so that these companies can thrive in a market that seeks to gentrify our unique and vibrant narratives."
