MTN partners Omoni Oboli to unveil seven Christmas films on YouTube

MTN Nigeria has partnered with filmmaker and actress Omoni Oboli to unveil seven Christmas films, in a collaboration aimed at expanding access to Nigerian content and supporting the country’s creative industry through digital distribution.

The films, produced under Omoni Oboli TV, were unveiled at a Christmas Movie Mixer hosted by MTN Nigeria at its rooftop facility in Lagos.

The event brought together filmmakers, actors, content creators, and other entertainment industry stakeholders to celebrate Nigerian storytelling and the upcoming festive season.

The unveiling was accompanied by a fireside chat featuring Oboli and Barene Jankovich-Besan, a YouTube consultant and independent strategic adviser. The session was moderated by Sir Kenn.

Speaking at the event, Idowu Adesokan, General Manager, Consumer Segments at MTN Nigeria, said the partnership reflected the telecommunications company’s commitment to supporting the creative economy and creating opportunities for Nigerian talent.

Mr Adesokan said the collaboration with Omoni Oboli TV, alongside MTN’s strategic partnership with YouTube, was part of efforts to connect audiences with locally produced content while helping creators expand their reach.

“At MTN, we recognise that connectivity goes beyond access to the internet. It enables creativity, innovation and economic opportunity. We believe Nigeria’s creative industry has enormous potential to entertain, create jobs, build businesses and take our stories to the world,” he said.

Omoni said the partnership would make it easier for audiences to watch her productions, particularly through MTN’s YouTube data bundles, which she said reduce streaming costs.

The Edo-born actress explained that affordability matters to filmmakers because wider access to their productions can translate into increased viewership and revenue.

“With MTN bundles, you can watch a whole film with just a few hundred naira. That makes me happy because I can tell my audience that we have a movie out, and they don’t have to break the bank to watch it,” she said.

The filmmaker also linked the commercial success of online productions to the livelihoods of people working in the industry, including actors and other production professionals.

According to her, increased viewership and advertising revenue create opportunities for creators to invest in more productions and employ additional talent.

“The more people watch, the more money the creators make, and the more money the creators make, the more people we can empower. I can have more actors in my films. So, I’m also empowering other people,” she said.

Describing filmmaking as a serious business, Omoni said several people’s livelihoods depended on the success of productions, adding that her work carried responsibilities beyond personal achievement.

“It’s not a joke. It’s serious business. There are people here who, all they want in life is their bread and water. That’s how their rent is paid. That’s how their kids eat.

“For me, I take it as almost ministry. It’s not just, ‘Oh, this is just something I do.’ It’s very serious because many destinies are tied to mine. So I must win,” she said.

Also speaking during the fireside chat, Jankovich-Besan highlighted the emotional appeal of Nollywood productions as one of the factors behind their popularity among audiences.

She said themes such as love, betrayal, romance and success often encourage viewers to engage with characters and discuss the decisions made in films, extending their impact beyond entertainment.

She also pointed to the growing international audience for Nigerian films, noting that viewers outside Africa were increasingly engaging with content produced on the continent.

Ms Jankovich-Besan said she had encountered figures suggesting that “between 30 and 40 per cent of the viewership of some movies came from audiences outside Africa.”

She described the development as an important indication of the potential of Nigerian storytelling to reach international audiences.

On the partnership between MTN and YouTube, she explained that promotional campaigns deliberately incorporated content from creators’ YouTube channels to direct more viewers to their platforms.

The YouTube consultant said the approach included displaying creators’ channel names in promotional materials, allowing interested viewers to locate and subscribe to their channels.

“We want to make sure that the channel name is there so we can drive traffic to the creator channels on YouTube. Ultimately, success for us would be if those channels keep growing and have more subscribers,” she said.

Ms Jankovich-Besan also identified affordability and access to suitable devices as some of the challenges affecting digital adoption in Nigeria.

Responding to a question about growing YouTube viewership in the country, she said the platform’s recommendation algorithm was influenced by users’ viewing habits and the interests of people with similar viewing patterns.

She added that creators could also contribute to the growth of their platforms by consistently encouraging audiences to like their videos and subscribe to their channels.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the Christmas productions, Omoni said the films were designed around the values associated with the festive season, including family, love, forgiveness, togetherness and connection.

She described Christmas as a period when people take a break from the demands of the year, reconnect with loved ones and reflect on their relationships.

“It’s a time for family. It’s a time for togetherness. It’s time for sharing. It’s a time for caring. It’s a time that we remind ourselves that we’re human,” she said.

The 48-year-old actress also disclosed that producing seven films for the festive season would have been more difficult without MTN’s support.

She described herself as a Christmas movie enthusiast who watches films throughout the festive period and said the opportunity to produce seven titles was an expansion of that passion.

The productions include Seasoned With Love, Christmas on Budget, Memories on the Rooftop, Promise Me December, A Bride for the Season, Christmas Between Worlds and Short Sweet 2.

During the discussion, Omoni indicated that she was also looking forward to major cinema projects in 2027, suggesting that her relationship with MTN could extend to future productions.