I was irritated by this as well…
What was your main reason for subscribing to Iroko, how many movies did you watch as a subscriber?
For how many years were you a subscriber and why haven’t you subscribed this year?
Oh boy. See questions!!! Do you work for IrokoTV @Lamidi_b_a??
I subscribed for IrokoTV because it was more convenient that going out to look for Nollywood movies. And they offered a huge number of movies to pick from. Many of those movies cannot be seen in shops. IrokoTV deal is far more economical. Then I paid just 2000 Naira for an entire year and I must tell you that I watched all movies starring Belinda Effah ( 
) and Ime Bishop not mentioning other wonderful movies.
I was a subscriber for a year (2014). Kinda lost interest in watch Nollywood for a while. Now, I’m bored with Hollywood, so I’m returning home. 
Thanks for starting this thread 
. This is some of the most riveting stuff so far. Iroko does stir up strong emotions.
1000 naira will buy you 20 new movies at Alaba market.
I don’t work for Iroko, just wanted to understand the reasons behind you being a user.
How is Iroko more economical for you?
IrokoTV in Africa grew 457% in 2014. It will likely do the same this year if early indications have anything to show. @MistaMajani - we haven’t done anything in East Africa outside of Rw. We will. Starting in about 9 days.
Check out the blog for the news. Otherwise. Love all the feedback.
I’m back in this thread since Jason has replied with some data.
Unfortunately he has used percentages. The go to tool for pulling wool over people’s eyes. 457% could very well mean you went from 40 African clients to 170 last year.
I sense a strong cognitive dissonance happening since the commitment to Africa has already been made, but it’s never too late to change your mind. Just imagine if it was another company that had enjoyed success in US and Europe, but since things were slowing down there, they announce they are now betting on Africa to fuel growth. Imagine Apple, with their declining growth, at the next WWDC saying that they are now going to focus on Africa? Ludicrous!
What do Apple do when their US & Europe growth declines? They make a new product for that market. It’s the most lucrative market in the world, no question. For iroko to manage to penetrate that market then abandon it for Africa is sheer lunacy! They should be thinking of other types of content to sell to US and Europe if Nollywood VOD has slowed down there. Maybe podcast streaming? Maybe stock photos(merge with foto)? Maybe research papers? Trying all this in US and Europe is more sensible than coming to Africa to sell movies online. Just use this techcabal as a small sample of what will happen when you focus on Africa. You have psychofants all over cheering you on because they want to associate with a rich man driving a Range Rover 2015, but not one of them have given you a single coin this year. I myself spend around 1,000 dollars a year on my personal online purchases, mostly on daily deals and travel deals. I can be honest to you that I will NEVER, EVER, even consider buying movies or music online. Consider that, and consult with the entrepreneurs that have gone before you, you will see the light.
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457%? Let me quickly focus on my start up and worry less about Iroko because this does not look like its dying. That’s how they predicted facebook will die in 2015.
I like your line of argument about Africans not willing to pay for movies and music online. For me, this is the kind of difficult question every successful business has to ask and maybe answer. Because Africans don’t pay for these things Today doesn’t mean they won’t pay for it tomorrow. If Iroko can survive long enough for her time to come in Africa (probably when internet penetration increases exponentially or when they finally convince Africans to pay for online media content) then they just might become successful in their quest. Btw I think it’s a good thing they have strong critics like you, It will help them be on their toes.
Cheers
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If critics keep you on your toes then you shouldn’t be an entrepreneur. Building awesome products, finding customers and meeting payroll are the only things which matter. Everything else is noise.
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Critics should definitely not be putting you on your toes, your drive to make the business successful should do that, but we can’t ignore the role the critics play in making us see things from another angle.
Like someone said in a previous thread, listen to everybody, but listen to nobody.
Something to keep in mind is that critics hardly ever have all the numbers. Additionally, all the numbers hardly ever tell the whole story.
They may being up very compelling arguments, but the universe isn’t set in stone. Things change, and those who reap the rewards are the ones who made calculated (or risky) bets.
MM may be correct in that their international client base is nuked and the African clients currently aren’t buying on Iroko’s platform.
I don’t know Jason or much about him, but from his posts, it looks like he’s been learning some things from people offering similar services in other markets. Asia, to be specific.
He might have picked up on some trends they’ve experienced and hedging his bets that the African market isn’t fundamentally different from Asian markets, and is focusing on the gaps between current Iroko and what it’d need to excel as the African market progresses.
In this case, critics are right in their assessment, but they haven’t figured out where iroko is going and why. That’s why it’s hard to take criticism to heart (to me), when it isn’t founded on a deep understanding of the objective in the first place.
Not taking anything away from critics … just saying there’s many reasons why their analysis could be off-base.
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Truth is Content is King.
You have to remember this every time.
They said nobody would watch video on a mobile screen; we all do now.
Nobody will watch movies on YouTube because data is expensive; we are watching increasingly now and yes we are paying for it but the payment goes to the Internet provider for data.
Empire is on FOX and FOX alone; you want Empire, you will get FOX.
Netflix, Hulu and co are still ignoring Africa for now but not for long cos Nigerian movies are on Netflix probably sold to them by Iroko. This is the best time for Iroko to stamp their authority on the continent and get actual boots on the ground. They’re not stupid, trust me they’re not called Iroko for nothing.
It’s a game of content (almost typed thrones) , Iroko & Multichoice understands that all too well.
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I was thinking about this earlier today. If Iroko can partner with stakeholders in the movie industry to create content that will be exclusive to them and properly publicized, then that might be a game changer for Africa.
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My friend works for iroko. I hear half of the staff quit on jason
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My guy @Jason_Igwe_Njoku thinks he is steve jobs. De faster he accepts himself as a nollywood filmmaker De more money he will make. But being called a filmmaker doesn’t match his ego. less talking n blogging plz. make movies. u r a filmmaka abeg
@Jason_Igwe_Njoku you rememba what happened to steve jobs. Don’t be wrong oh. They go take your iroko from you
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Am sure transport to Alaba market is free. btw you cant get most movies on irokotv there
I’m just telling you to the average Nigerian it is cheaper to buy from Alaba. Lool are you asking me about my transport fare? Okay. How much do you pay for your data then? 