Exploring Film Licensing in Africa: A Step-by-Step Guide

In the ever-evolving landscape of African entertainment, local and authentic stories are thriving, yet there's a strong demand for international genres such as action, telenovelas, aspirational reality TV, and children's content. This diverse market presents a wealth of opportunities for distributors and sales agents looking to make their mark.

To succeed in this complex and fragmented market, a professional Electronic Press Kit (EPK) is essential. This kit should include a synopsis, trailer, key art, tech specs, and more, making it easier for key players to evaluate your content.

One of the biggest challenges in film licensing in Africa is navigating its complex and fragmented nature. However, a strategic approach can help. Identify the key players, prepare content professionally, understand the legal framework, and use data to connect with the right partners.

Platforms like Showmax and IrokoTV are key players in the market, and a global B2B marketplace platform can help connect directly with these decision-makers across the African continent. Regional hubs to focus on include Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana.

Pay-TV providers such as MultiChoice (DStv) and StarTimes license a huge volume of content for their various channel bouquets, while national and private broadcasters like Citizen TV (Kenya) and Channels TV (Nigeria) are always looking for affordable, high-quality content to fill their schedules.

The strategy for successful film licensing in Africa is to follow a proven 5-step framework:

Understand and Secure Ownership and Copyright Rights: Confirm clear contractual provisions defining copyright ownership, licensing rights, and exploitation rights over underlying works. Nigerian law, for example, presumes joint ownership if rights are not explicitly assigned, so clear agreements are critical.
Comply with Local Legal and Regulatory Requirements: Register local entities if required, obtain necessary approvals such as from national film censors, and ensure compliance with territorial licensing and censorship laws to avoid fines or bans.
Draft and Negotiate Detailed Licensing and Distribution Agreements: Define scope (territory, format, duration), exclusivity clauses, revenue sharing, rights to sequels/remakes/merchandising, and backend royalty arrangements clearly in contracts. Streaming platforms often require exclusivity and specific terms.
Engage Relevant Local and International Partners Strategically: Partner with local studios or distributors to facilitate market entry and compliance. International collaborations should clarify global commercialization rights.
Leverage Financing and Support Local Content Development: Utilize funding mechanisms and public interest commitments which encourage involvement of local enterprises and historically disadvantaged persons in the African audiovisual industry. This builds local content pipelines and supports sustainable deal closure.

This comprehensive approach balances legal, commercial, and strategic considerations essential for successful film licensing and deal-making in Africa’s complex entertainment sector. Legal counsel is vital throughout to safeguard rights and navigate varied national frameworks.

In addition, a global B2B marketplace platform offers a system that shows who is buying, what they're buying, and how to contact them, cutting through the noise and connecting with people who are actively looking for content. The platform also offers a Project Tracker for tracking deals and a curated database of active buyers in Africa, allowing filtering by country and content need, ensuring connection with the right decision-makers.

With the African entertainment and media market projected to reach over $10 billion in revenue, and global SVOD platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ aggressively commissioning and acquiring content in Africa, now is an exciting time for distributors and sales agents looking to make their mark in this vibrant market.

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