‘Shanty Town’ ranks most watched Nollywood drama on Netflix Africa

Chichi Nworah’s ‘Shanty Town’, has been announced as the most-streamed African Original in Nigeria, and the second most-streamed across the continent, according to Netflix’sfirst-ever ‘What we watched: A Netflix engagement report’, released on Tuesday by Netflix.

The comprehensive report shows what its subscribers are watching. The report covers hours viewed from January to June 2023.

‘Shanty Town’, a bold crime drama produced by Chichi Nworah, depicts the dark and chaotic life of the Lagos underground. It was a buzz of the town when it was released in early 2023.

Shanty Town’s success is a testament to the growing hunger for authentic African stories, told by African voices. Nworah, a Nigerian filmmaker with a knack for weaving complex narratives, has crafted a world teeming with raw emotion, social commentary, and nail-biting suspense.

The show delves into the lives of struggling residents in a Lagos slum, but their aspirations and struggles echo across the continent. Nworah’s creation resonated deeply with the African audience, proving that Nigerian storytelling can compete with the best on a global platform.

With 27.3 million hours viewed between January and June 2023, ‘Shanty Town’ trails only South Africa’s ‘Unseen’, a gripping mystery thriller, with 60 million hours.

The inaugural ‘What We Watched’ report is the first of what will become a biannual report providing insights into viewership trends, covering key aspects such as hours viewed, premiere dates, and global availability. The report represents 99 percent of Netflix viewing and covers over 18,000 titles, totalling nearly 100 billion hours, for a complete view of what’s being watched.

‘Shanty Town’, a Netflix original series produced by Chinenye Chichi Nworah and directed by Dimeji Ajibola, features Ini Edo, Chidi Mokeme, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Mercy Eke, Nancy Isime, Zubby Michael, Uche Jombo, RMD, Peter Okoye (Psquare), among others.

Chichi recently produced ‘Slum King’, an African magic original. ‘Slum King’, a ten-episode series also made waves across Africa as viewers of the show on Africa Magic Showcase expressed their eagerness to see Season 2 of ‘Slum King’ after a great first run.

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE