MBABANE – Local filmmakers and video producers could soon have a new home for their content.
This comes after a call was made for the creation of a homegrown streaming platform for emaSwati creatives. The proposal was made by Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Pholile Shakantu during an engagement with local creatives at the Ezulwini Palazzo ICC last Wednesday.
The atmosphere was part networking session, part creative idea exchange, as content creators, videographers and digital storytellers introduced themselves and unpacked the realities of trying to survive in Eswatini’s fast-growing entertainment industry.
One by one, the creatives shared the kind of work they produce, ranging from short skits and lifestyle content to long-form productions and web series. Most revealed that they rely heavily on platforms such as YouTube to distribute their productions.
However, despite attracting views and building audiences, many local creators are still unable to fully monetise their content because Eswatini is not currently part of YouTube’s automated Partner Programme monetisation system.
This means creators in the kingdom cannot directly register local bank accounts for AdSense monetisation, limiting their ability to earn from views generated on the platform. The minister said this reality was frustrating, especially considering the amount of talent and quality productions emerging from Eswatini.
“We are creating very beautiful and exciting content as a country and end up getting nothing after working so hard. All this money goes to these platforms that young people use to showcase their work,” she said.
The minister suggested that Eswatini needed its own digital platform where local productions could be housed and monetised in a similar fashion to international streaming giants. She explained that the model could operate through subscriptions, where viewers pay monthly fees to access local content while creatives earn revenue directly from their productions.
Shakantu noted that several African countries were already building local streaming ecosystems to protect and monetise their creative industries.
According to creatives present at the meeting, the discussion around a local streaming platform has been ongoing within the entertainment sector, but support from influential stakeholders could help accelerate the idea.
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