General
AFCON 2023: Nigerian Content Creators See 200% Rise in Revenue, Views
By Adedapo Adesanya
Content creators in Nigeria saw a 200 per cent increase in views and revenue between December 2023 and February 2024, a new study shared with Business Post showed.
According to new data released by StarNews Mobile, an African video streaming platform, content creators across Africa experienced a 300 per cent surge in revenues during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held between January 13 and February 11, 2024, reaffirming the massive surge in consumption of hyper-localized content from the continent.
Based on metrics from StarNews Mobile’s platform, creators in Nigeria were only outshone by their peers in Cameroon and Cote D’Ivoire which saw 300 per cent and 400 per cent increases in viewers and revenue respectively between December 2023 and February 2024.
In total, the company streamed more than 4 million pieces of content per month to football fans via its AFCON-related channels, amassing 500,000 subscribers for content specifically related to the tournament.
“Whilst one of the main conversations of this year’s AFCON has been the commercial growth of African sport, these statistics reinforce the revolution in another one of the continent’s fastest-growing sectors – the content space.
“Based on the data, there’s undoubtedly a huge demand for quality, hyper-localized content from African creators but if we want to effectively unlock the full potential of this market opportunity, it’s vital we empower both sides of the marketplace,” the chief executive and founder of StarNews Mobile, Mr Guy Kamgaing, said.
“With this in mind, it’s simply not enough to just provide a platform for African creators to express themselves. We need to invest in their success by equipping them with the financial stability, independence, and freedom to create so they can fully leverage the massive value the continent and its diaspora’s 1.2 billion consumers hold,” he added.
Launched in 2017, StarNews Mobile empowers African content creators with the unique opportunity to monetize their work through a subscription model, boasting over 4 million subscribers and a thriving community of more than 120 content creators.
With a strong presence across six countries including Cameroon, Nigeria, Côte D’Ivoire, Congo, Benin and Ghana, the platform has also established key partnerships with major telecom operators such as MTN and Orange.
To date, StarNews Mobile has secured over $8 million in funding with its most recent raise – a $3 million pre-Series A funding round in October 2023 – led by Janngo Capital with participation from French football players Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jules Koundé, and Mike Maignan.
The global creator economy stands at an estimated worth of $20 billion and with the world’s youngest population, there is an emerging class of African content creators ready to capitalise on the sector’s potential. However, despite this, differences in international payment methods, cellular data limits, and even certain cultural differences establish major barriers for African creators and influencers to monetize their content with traditional platforms.
However, through its partnerships with local mobile providers, StarNews Mobile can bill subscribers directly to their phone and leverages SMS technology to eliminate the roadblocks surrounding payments and data limits respectively. Creators can also charge their followers a small daily or weekly fee, limiting their reliance on ads and elevating the content of the quality provided as they focus on engaging and retaining their followers.
Leveraging its partnership with Orange – one of the main sponsors of AFCON 2023 – StarNews Mobile launched a series of initiatives to boost fan engagement with this year’s tournament including creating physical fan zones across its markets, data subscription bundles and virtual channels on its platform dedicated to the tournament.
According to sports analytics platform, Opta, the 2023 AFCON has been one of the most exciting in the tournament’s history with this year’s group stage alone recording an average goals-per-game rate of 2.47, making this AFCON’s highest-scoring tournament in 15 years.
With the Confederation of African Football(CAF), the organisers of AFCON 2023, securing a 100 per cent increase in applications for media accreditations to cover the event alongside extensive global broadcasting deals, the tournament has broken into a new threshold of worldwide popularity.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has been urged to extend the deadline for the payment of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) by property owners in Abuja.
This plea for an extension was asked by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) through a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr James Ezema.
The group said the initial two-week grace period given to the affected allottees, which expired on Friday, January 3, 2025, was insufficient, considering the current economic challenges facing the country.
Recall that after public outcries, Mr Wike, who is the immediate past governor of Rivers State, granted an extension to the owners of the 762 revoked plots of land in Maitama, Abuja.
“We are appealing to the Minister and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to tamper justice with mercy and issue an extension in the spirit of the yuletide and in view of the economic challenges in the country,” the association stated.
It stressed that the extension would give the affected individuals and groups ample time to comply with the directive, thereby avoiding any undue hardship or loss.
“We pray that the Minister and the FCTA will grant the allottees an extension to comply with the directive, giving all the affected individuals and groups enough time to have themselves to blame at the end of the final extension,” the statement added.
The CNPP’s appeal comes on the heels of its recent expression of concern over the escalating hunger and suffering faced by millions of Nigerians due to the economic realities in the country.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has dissociated itself from an unofficial viral statement by one of it members, regarding posters indicating activities of the organisation.
The group dissociated itself from the member in a statement signed by its National President and the National Secretary, Mr Kabiru Ibrahim, and Mr Yunusa Halidu, respectively.
“This post is made by an authorized member, Ado A Ado Kano.
“The opinions and views expressed here are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the group, its administrators, or other members.
“For official statements, please refer to AFAN official contact or platform,” parts of the statement made available to Business Post stated.
According to AFAN, the unofficial posters flying around doesn’t represent the association, noting that Mr Kano is not authorized by AFAN or its officials but those of the author.
AFAN is the umbrella organisation for all farmers’ commodity associations in Nigeria.
Its vision and mission are to assemble all Nigerian producers into one organization, providing a single interlocutor for the government to address agricultural issues with the farming community.
AFAN was formed by the merger of the All-Farmers Association of Nigeria (ALFA) and the National Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (NAFAN). The merger was recommended by former Nigerian president, Mr Olusegun Obasanjo.
By Adedapo Adesanya
BUA Group has denied widespread reports that its ongoing construction of a 200,000 barrels per day capacity refinery located in Akwa Ibom State is 90 per cent completed.
In a statement signed on Sunday, the group with subsidiaries in food, cement, and energy sectors said that the claims that the structure was at end stage did not come from it.
“Contrary to a misleading report stating that our 200,000 barrels/day refinery is at 90% completion, BUA wishes to advise the public to disregard such misleading reports that did not emanate from us,” a part of the statement read.
It clarified that the project was progressing well and added that it was going to meet the project timeline of 2025.
“As we make remarkable strides on our Akwa Ibom refinery project, we are proud to share that construction is progressing steadily.
“Whilst the refinery is not at 90% completion, we are however on track to meet our delivery timelines in collaboration with our partners.
“This BUA Refinery & Petrochemicals project represents a major milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s refining capacity and energy security,” the group said.
BUA is also carrying out other energy projects, including the construction of a mini-LNG plant and several new hybrid power plants across the country, which it said are also progressing rapidly.
The group says this will add additional capacity to our over 1,000MW installed captive power generation capacity.
“The public is advised to verify any news through our official channels and platforms so as not to be misled by mischievous persons,” the statement said.
“At BUA, we remain committed to transparency and excellence. As we have consistently done with over 12 of our completed mega industrial projects worth over $ 3.5 billion in the past 10 years, we will continue to keep you updated with verifiable and accurate information only where necessary, and as milestones are achieved.
“We appreciate the public’s interest and enthusiasm for this transformative project as we work together in building a stronger industrial and manufacturing base for a self-reliant Nigeria,” it added.
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