Amazon Prime Video is Ending Contents Production and Acquisition in Africa

Amazon Prime is reportedly ending contents production and acquisition in Sub-sahara Africa and North Africa to focus on European market. While an official statement from Amazon on this decision remains elusive, analysts suggest that the streaming platform exist may have been influenced by fierce competition in the streaming market, particularly from Netflix and Showmax.

In addition to ending contents production and acquisition in Africa, the streaming service is also laying off employees. Although the exact number of affected workers is unknown.

Vice President of Amazon Prime’s EMEA division, Barry Furlong, stated that “this move is aimed towards efforts on areas that we have the biggest impact and long-term success.”

Nevertheless, Barry also cited that the authorised programmes will still air, Amazon Prime will no longer accept local content, but the platform will still function in North Africa, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Analysts warn against drawing firm conclusions without official clarification. “This could be a temporary pause for reassessment,” one industry expert explains. “Africa’s entertainment market holds immense potential, and Amazon might be recalibrating its approach to tap into it effectively.”

Local filmmakers and production houses express a mix of disappointment and cautious optimism. While acknowledging the challenges, they emphasize the need for continued collaboration and dialogue to ensure a sustainable future for African content on global platforms.