Mo Abudu from EbonyLife explains why major companies have not invested significantly in diverse content.

Mo Abudu, the founder and CEO of EbonyLife Group and recognized as one of the most influential women in television by The Hollywood Reporter, stated that her company can thrive and generate revenue by creating content aimed at a devoted Black audience, even if major entertainment conglomerates might not see the same results.

During a panel at Content London on Tuesday, the British-Nigerian media executive was asked about the profitability of focusing on diversity-driven content within a direct-to-consumer model. She explained her local-for-global strategy, highlighting how digital disruption has shifted audience control. Nobody is beholden to anybody anymore, she noted. Audiences now decide what they watch, so you cant dictate their choices. I produce content for a specific niche. This approach works perfectly for my audience. It may not suit larger corporations, which could explain why mainstream broadcasters have been hesitant to invest heavily in diverse contentit might not yield the same returns for them.

Abudu further commented: You can have all the diversity officers you want advocating for more inclusive content, but in reality, only a small fraction will be picked up by those companies.

For EbonyLife, known for local box office successes like The Wedding Party and ltr as well as global partnerships with Netflix and Sony, the situation is different. Abudu, often called the Queen of African media, emphasized: If you build a platform that genuinely speaks to an untapped audience, your results improve because you are creating content tailored to them, and they are willing to pay for it.

She concluded by highlighting the advantages of being a smaller, agile company: I dont carry the same overhead that larger corporations have, which allows us to manage costs effectively.

Author: Sophia Brooks