Watch Nigerian tv shows online with streaming service NextSpeel

For the longest time, we’ve been waiting to see who will rise up as the Netflix of Africa. As bandwidth and mobile data gets cheaper, and more Africans get connected, it’s only a matter of time before streaming movies, music, and television shows becomes commonplace on the continent.

There are a few players emerging already in the streaming space, such as iROKO (iROKOtv and iROKING), Wabona, and Buni TV. What separates them, besides billing models, is a focus on certain geographies. For example iRoko services mostly West African content whilst Wabona has a strong sub-Saharan focus. What we haven’t seen yet is a streaming service that narrows its focus on niche content… until now that is, with new Nigerian service NextSpeel.

NextSpeel, founded by Larry Oti, might not have as wide a base of content as say iROKOtv, but its focus on Soap Operas and comedy/drama series – niche genres – could place it well for success. NextSpeel has started with Nigerian content, and hosts full episodes of popular shows including House Apart, Soul Sistas, Bella’s Place and Extended Family.

NextSpeel is free to use and makes it money from advertising, but it told Ventureburn that it will introduce subscription tiers in the future. The plan is to expand to the rest of Africa, starting with iROKOtv’s home West Africa. However iROKOtv has a movie-bias and actually does not host a huge amount of television shows, let alone soap operas.

Could a narrowed focus on niche genres and content be the future of online streaming in Africa? Will it be enough to separate NextSpeel from its competitors?

NextSpeel is two months old having launched in June this year.