IROKO Partners

About IROKO Partners

IROKO Partners is an online media distribution company with a focus on Nigeria's entertainment sector, often called the "Netflix of Africa". The company was founded in 2010 by Jason Njoku and Bastian Gotter, who met as students at the University of Manchester. The idea originated from Njoku's observation of the high global demand for Nigerian "Nollywood" films and the lack of legal online viewing options. After several failed business ventures, Njoku moved to Lagos, funded by Gotter, to license Nollywood content.

They initially launched "NollywoodLove," a YouTube channel that became profitable within months. This success attracted a $3 million investment from U.S.-based Tiger Global in 2011, which enabled the launch of the dedicated streaming platform, iROKOtv, on December 1, 2011. The company's business model is subscription-based, offering users access to a large catalog of over 5,000 Nollywood titles. Initially, it operated with a free, ad-supported tier but shifted to a fully subscription-based service to ensure sustainability. The service primarily targets both audiences within Africa and the global diaspora, with a significant subscriber base in the US and UK.

Over the years, IROKO expanded its offerings, launching a music streaming service called iROKING (now inactive) and linear TV channels, iROKO Play and iROKO Plus. In 2013, Njoku and Gotter also founded SPARK, a $1-2 million investment fund to support Lagos-based internet startups. A major milestone occurred in 2019 with the sale of its ROK Studios division to French media giant Canal+. However, the company has faced significant challenges, including Nigerian currency devaluation, competition, and operational issues, leading to a strategic shift to focus on higher-value international markets and a significant drop in its subscriber base since 2022. In late 2023, the iROKOtv website and app went offline, which the CEO attributed to a platform migration.