Nollywood director Niyi Akimolayan has expressed a controversial opinion on the issue of piracy in the Nigerian film industry.
The worldwide film business is plagued by piracy, and Nollywood is hardly an exception. Filmmakers have been fighting this threat, which eats away at potential profits, stifles innovation, and deters investment, for years. The issues of unauthorised downloads, unapproved streaming websites, and pirated DVDs have long plagued Nollywood.
But what if we’ve been focusing on the wrong enemy?
Recently, a seasoned Nollywood filmmaker, Niyi Akimolayan shared a controversial perspective. He argued that piracy might not be Nollywood’s biggest challenge after all. Instead, the core problem lies in accessibility, or the lack of it.
“I have a theory about piracy. I don’t believe people pirate movies because they don’t wanna pay. They pirate movies because they don’t want to wait. If everyone can get access to a film the weekend it drops, you will end piracy. Remember people pay for data to watch those films,” he said.
Making reference to the days of CDs and DVDs, he noted that Nigerians need several means to watch movies to curb the piracy problem.
“In the days of DVDs, people bought DVDs of cinema screen recordings because they didn’t want to wait for the real DVDs. They bought them in traffic because they didn’t want to miss the discussions around the film. It’s the same thing revealing itself as telegram channels,” he added.
According to Niyi Akimolayan , the solution isn’t chasing pirates with legal battles or lamenting lost profits but making films available on multiple platforms so they’re easier to access for audiences of all classes. It’s a bold take, one that challenges conventional thinking and demands a reevaluation of how Nollywood operates in today’s digital-first world.
“While cinema is an irreplaceable experience, in a country like ours, you should be able to release in cinema and on a platform the same day. You will render pirates useless cos the power is now in your hands. Only tech can solve this problem. Any guru willing to work on it has my support,” he continued.
He concluded by suggesting that producers could also invent a platform where the audience could watch for a bit and decide if it’s worth it then pay to continue viewing.
“You can also design a platform that allows people to pay maybe a few minutes into the film. a lot of our production and stories need work. It’s not fair to pay money and be constantly disappointed. What if you only need to pay after the first 10 minutes? This allows us to work harder. Like I said… all this is based on my theory on piracy,” he concluded.
Niyi Akimolayan has been in the film industry for more than ten years and has a number of works to his name. Chief Daddy, Prophetess, My Village People, The Wedding Party 2, and The Set Up were all directed by him. He is the creator of the media production firm Anthill Studios.
