Africa is the new challenge for Netflix, which has been present on the continent since 2016.
It is a major competitor for local players, even though it still has a limited presence in French-speaking Africa. In 2019, the world leader in VOD officially launched its production of original African series.
Between acquisitions and original creations, Netflix's arrival in French-speaking Africa could be a real opportunity for local content producers, where others might see a threat.
In Africa, as elsewhere in the world, the taxation of online audiovisual content companies such as Netflix and YouTube is at the heart of the debate. This could make it possible to integrate new digital video-on-demand platforms into the process of financing local audiovisual production.
On the continent, in addition to South Africa, Kenya and Zambia are also considering implementing a tax system to regulate the activities of these players.
More recently, according to the media outlet Ecofin, Côte d'Ivoire appears to be considering measures to tax video-on-demand services. The information was reportedly revealed by the Director General of Taxes, Ouattara Sié Abou, during a press conference on the 2020 tax annex. The government plans to allocate 40% of the taxes collected on video-on-demand services to the National Film Office, while the remaining 60% will go to the Film Industry Support Fund in Côte d'Ivoire.
Source: Ecofin