Ghanaian movies can’t survive on streaming platforms due to high cost of data – Ola Michael

Ghanaian filmmaker and media personality, Ola Michael has expressed worry over the high cost of data in Ghana, emphasizing that it is affecting the streaming of Ghanaian films online.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Isaac Dazie of GhanaWeb Entertainment, the renowned movie producer and director opined that most Ghanaians who watch Ghanaian films online are those living outside the country because data is cheaper for them.

Ola further compared the situation in Ghana to that of Nigeria, where he asserted that filmmakers are making movies for YouTube, cinema, and Netflix and enjoying a large audience base.

“If I, as a producer, want to get my film on a streaming platform, let’s say on YouTube, how many Ghanaians are going to watch that film, especially if it’s in 1 hour? Because people will be thinking about how much data they’re going to spend watching this movie,” he said.

The media personality to a greater extent advised filmmakers who want to use YouTube to make their films shorter, preferably less than 10 minutes, to attract more viewers.

“That is why we advise those that are doing YouTube things to break it down to a maximum of ten minutes at least so that they will be enticed to watch it.

“But if you’re doing a feature like the Nigerians are doing on YouTube, it’s not going to work for you unless you are lucky for Ghanaians outside to also get to know of it and watch it. So they are the ones that are helping with the streaming for us now,” he added.

He said that the high data charges are killing the Ghanaian film industry and urged for more support and investment in the sector.

Ola Michael’s statements join the wider discussion on the high cost of internet data and how it affects digital entertainment products.

In 2023, artiste manager BullGod also cited the high costs of data on the poor patronage of Ghanaian music on streaming platforms.