In 2016, streaming platform Netflix made its way into Nigeria and managed to capture the hearts of its people, amidst the other platforms it had to compete with like South Africa-owned Showmax.

Today, it’s become very common for Netflix to show up in conversations. People tune in daily to watch their favorite shows while connecting on social platforms like Twitter.

How has this American company managed to entrench itself so deeply in our local community and thrive?

In this article, we’ll be looking at the strategies, partnerships, and perspectives that took Netflix from a relatively unknown streaming platform to a household name in Nigeria.

As a creator, you may gain insights from this that will hopefully help you in your journey, so read on to discover the secrets to Netflix’s success.

1. Strategic Partnerships with Local Creators

Netflix’s partnership with Nollywood has proven to be one of the biggest keys to its success in Nigeria, especially when it first entered the Nigerian market.

Long before Netflix launched its Nigerian presence in 2016, it acquired the online distribution rights to famous blockbusters like Kunle Afolayan’s October 1st, Biyi Bandele’s Fifty, Steve Guka’s 93 Days, Kemi Adetiba’s The Wedding Party, and several other films after they had already hit the cinemas.

These movies were streamed on the platform for viewers all over the world, introducing authentic African cinema into Netflix’s melting pot of films and shows.

It didn’t just stop there. In 2018, Netflix announced its acquisition of the exclusive, worldwide distribution rights of Genevieve Nnaji’s debut film, Lionheart.

This was the first Nigerian Netflix original, and many saw it as the beginning of a partnership between one of the biggest streaming services in the world and Nigeria’s film industry. 

Netflix’s strategic partnership with Nollywood allowed it to penetrate an already existing audience of Nollywood-loving Nigerians, the importance of which cannot be overstated.

This is because penetrating an already existing market through the people it’s most familiar with saves a company valuable time and resources, as the burden of expending effort in building an audience is drastically taken off your shoulders. 

Penetrating an already existing market also helped Netflix gain traction much faster in Nigeria.  

2. Naira Payments

Our ability to pay in local currency for a Netflix subscription plan is one of the biggest contributing factors to Netflix’s growth and success in Nigeria, and there are two main reasons for this.

Firstly is the sheer convenience of being able to pay in our local currency. This is because not everyone has a dollar account. For most people,  paying in foreign currency would not be a viable option.

As such, they’d be more likely to stick to either going to the cinema or using another streaming service. However, Netflix prevented this by partnering with Visa to make naira payments easier.

Also, naira payments have made Netflix more affordable to Nigerians, especially in recent times.

With exchange rates changing and prices soaring, a separate naira subscription plan makes Netflix cheaper than other streaming services that only accept foreign currency.

These benefits have helped Netflix gain a foothold in Nigeria, as the convenience and affordability of the platform attract more customers.

Netflix has also done a fantastic job at making the payments even more accessible through the various subscription plans, each with their respective benefits and prices.

Users can choose to pay for Netflix depending on the size of their families, and the number of devices that they would use. The democracy in the presentation of this choice has endeared people further to the streaming service. 

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3. Personalization

Netflix’s data-driven personalization strategy has helped it convert and retain more customers over the years.

This approach helps not only in its expansion and growing relevance in Nigeria but also proves to be a crucial factor in Netflix’s worldwide success. 

Netflix recommends series based on a user’s specific requirements and preferences. It does this by gathering and analyzing user data to determine what they like or don’t like from their watch minutes and then recommending a movie or series to the user.

This adds a special feel to the user experience that leads to one of the highest conversion rates for free trials, as high as 93%!

Why does this work so well? Several reasons. Firstly, personalization makes navigation so much easier and prevents an overload of information.

Netflix has thousands of movies and series available, so manually searching and picking one from this vast sea of content can prove to be a daunting task. However, Netflix circumvents this with its data-driven, personalized recommendations.

These ensure users don’t have to be overwhelmed by choices on what to watch and improve overall satisfaction and viewing experience.

Another reason is the loyalty it fosters among customers. When you always find the content you want to watch, it makes you want to stay, as you feel understood and appreciated. This creates a sense of loyalty toward the brand that will keep you returning to the platform.

4. Features that Encourage Loyalty 

Netflix is known for the way it facilitates the practice of content-binging, otherwise popularly referred to as binge-watching. It does this by employing several features to keep customers glued to their screens. 

One such feature is the Autoplay functionality, which plays the next episode of a series immediately after you’re done with the previous one. Why is it so effective?

The answer lies in its understanding of human nature. If you like a series, you’d want to watch more of it, especially when an episode ends, so Netflix steps in and streamlines the process for you.

If you’re indecisive, it gives you a few seconds to make a choice, but where you don’t, the choice to keep watching is automatically made for you. You don’t even have to visit the menu! This ingenious strategy satisfies audience desires while keeping them on Netflix for longer.

Furthermore, if you finish a particular movie or series, Netflix uses its data-driven personalizations to recommend something else you’d like to watch. It could be a prequel, sequel, or another movie or series in the same category of content you enjoy watching.

For example, if you finish the Wedding Party, Netflix may recommend the Wedding Party 2 to you immediately afterward. 

These effective features are some of the reasons why Netflix has gained ground in Nigeria. The ease of mind it provides its customers with pulls them back in for more! 

5. Storytelling 

Good stories are what capture the hearts of audiences worldwide. 

What makes a good story? A couple of things. At least, it has to be engaging. Good storytelling is marked by its ability to capture and retain your interest. It keeps you invested by employing a good plot, interesting characters, and dynamic settings.

Stories that do one of these things right can also be rich even if lacking in the other areas, but those that do all three enter into the territory of true greatness or “classics,” as we like to call them. 

Good stories are also impactful. Beyond entertainment, these are stories that provide value. It could be the inspiration you draw from one of the characters or a new perspective you walk away with after taking a deeper look at the ideas presented in the work. They satisfy the needs of both sides of your brain by entertaining and educating you. 

Netflix has an impressive catalog of stories that fit these criteria. Movies like The Black Book, an action thriller, topped Netflix charts and received critical acclaim for its compelling story, which dives deep into topics like corruption and police brutality in Nigeria. Chief Daddy, King of Boys, The Wedding Party, and other such movies can be found on Netflix.

There are debates on whether or not the Nollywood industry is evolving past the romance and class-oriented stories, and whether Netflix is doing the best it can in pushing out more variety where storytelling is concerned. However, we believe that there have been significant improvements in recent years with many more to come. 

How Can You Apply this as a Creator?

From launching its Nigerian presence in 2020 to date, Netflix’s growth in Nigeria is worth noting.

They partnered with the right people, told great stories, and implemented features that brought ease and affordability to their users.

These aren’t just strategies to be observed and appreciated from afar but lessons that we can learn from and apply as creators. 

But how could one apply it? What would it look like? There are many ways to go about it. 

1. Be open to partnerships

You don’t have to do everything yourself. If you’re not a great graphic designer, get someone who can do it for you.

If you want to reach an audience that you have no stakes in, partner with someone who is within that audience and build something together.

Just like Netflix was able to do with Nollywood, there is a lot to be achieved when you sit back and allow other people to help you do what they do best. 

2. Give your audience ease

Sometimes the problem isn’t your product, it’s the ability to deliver it to your audience with ease. Human beings do not like stress, and as a creator, you must ensure that your sales funnel is as stress-free as possible.

Products like Selar help you to automate the sales process, so you don’t have to respond to every DM and lose customers who might not be ready to purchase.

Like Netflix did with making naira payments accessible, making it easy for people to come back for more will do wonders for your business.

3. Be proactive

Being a business owner/creative requires stepping into the minds of your customers/audience to figure out how your services can make their lives better.

Is it by making the product better? Following up with them after a sale? Getting feedback on what their experience was like?

Netflix’s proactivity in easing the viewing process has made their viewers stay. So figure out other things you can do to make your products easily accessible and consumable.

4. Tell your story

When you create content that focuses on your business’s story and how it will add value to your customers, it’s a lot easier to get people to know and trust you. Netflix has invested in stories and keeps investing in them. Do the same.

The possibilities are endless, and the growth you’ll experience may even surprise you, so find ways to apply these lessons from Netflix. Good luck!