Umjolo: The Gone Girl, The Black Book, Blood & Water, Lísàbí are the Most-Streamed African Titles on Netflix in the Second Half of 2024
Other African films that gained considerable traction in the second half of 2024 include Ìjọ̀gbọ̀n and Òlòtūré, each drawing in around 500,000 views during this period.
Netflix has just released its latest Engagement Report, sharing insights into what people watched on the platform from July to December 2024. The report, titled "What We Watch," marks a shift for Netflix, which was once secretive about its viewership data. Moving forward, the streaming giant will release bi-annual rundowns of global viewership statistics alongside its Q2 and Q4 earnings results.
The bi-annual Engagement Report covers about 99% of all video watch time on Netflix. One of the simplest ways to measure engagement is through views—a metric calculated by dividing total watch hours by a title’s runtime. Netflix registers a view after two minutes of watch time—whether the viewer was fully engaged or simply letting it play in the background. This differs from the music industry, where a stream counts after just 30 seconds of playtime.
According to Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, the move toward transparency is a response to industry demands:
“This has been on a continuum for several years… The lack of transparency created an environment of mistrust. By sharing this data, we create a better landscape for guilds, producers, creators, and even the press.”
With this latest report covering six months of streaming activity [July - December 2024], several African films and TV series made the cut among 15,575 titles shared by Netflix.
FILM CATEGORY
Umjolo: The Gone Girl (6.6 million views)
Leading the list of the most-watched African films on Netflix in the second half of 2024 is Umjolo: The Gone Girl, a South African Netflix original where a couple's seemingly perfect relationship falters when one of them learns about the other's infidelity. Since its release on November 11, 2024, the film has garnered over 6.6 million views and surpassed 10 million watch hours, making it the most-streamed African title on Netflix during this period.
The Black Book (4.5 million views)
Coming in second is Nigeria’s The Black Book, a gripping thriller starring Richard Mofe-Damijo as a bereaved deacon who takes justice into his own hands after his son is framed and killed by a corrupt police gang. Despite being released in September 2023, The Black Book has remained a powerhouse on the platform, pulling in over 4.5 million views and close to 10 million watch hours in just the last six months of 2024.
The film made history upon its debut, becoming the first Nigerian film to reach No. 1 on Netflix worldwide. It was watched by over 20 million people in its opening weeks, breaking into Netflix’s Top 10 list in more than 69 countries and even reaching No. 3 on the global charts. Remarkably, The Black Book also topped Netflix rankings in South Korea and secured the No. 2 spot in several South American countries, a testament to its global appeal. Over a year after its initial release, the film continues to dominate as the second most-streamed African film on Netflix in late 2024. Crazy!!
Umjolo: Day Ones (3.1 million views)
In third place is Umjolo: Day Ones, another South African production that made a strong statement following its December 2024 release. The film racked up over 3 million views and about 4.5 million watch hours in such a short period of tracking.
Lísàbí: The Uprising (1.5 million views)
Nigeria’s Lísàbí: The Uprising follows next. The film, which portrays the legendary Yoruba folk hero leading his people in a historic uprising against tyranny, made a strong statement. Despite not being released globally, it managed to attract 1.5 million views and over 2.7 million watch hours after its release in late September 2024.
Other African films that gained considerable traction in the second half of 2024 include Ìjọ̀gbọ̀n and Òlòtūré, each drawing in around 500,000 views during this period. Meanwhile, classics such as Up North, The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai, The Set Up (2019), The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, Lionheart, Living in Bondage: Breaking Free and The Rise of Igbinogun all recorded around 100,000 views each, hinting at what I’d call a lasting appeal of Nollywood favorites in the streaming business. The staying power is right there!
TV CATEGORY
Òlòtūré: The Journey: Season 1 (3.3 million views)
Leading the pack for the most-watched [African] series in the second half of 2024 is Òlòtūré: The Journey: Season 1, the highly anticipated sequel to 2020’s Òlòtūré. Released in late June 2024, the series pulled in 3.3 million views between July and December, with over 6 million hours viewed on Netflix.
Blood & Water: Season 1 & 4 (1.8 million combined views)
Following closely behind is the ever-popular Blood & Water series. Both Season 1 and the newly released Season 4 drew around 900,000 views each, amassing 4.4 million watch hours. The fact that Season 1, originally released in 2020, is still pulling in strong engagement four years later is a testament to the show’s staying power.
In total, Netflix members streamed over 94 billion hours in the second half of 2024, marking a 5% increase year over year. And despite premiering just six days before the end of the year, Squid Game Season 2 dominated the charts as the most-viewed series, racking up 87 million views in record time.
However, even the biggest hits don’t account for a massive chunk of total viewing. Case in point: Squid Game Season 2—despite having the most watch hours in this period—made up just 0.7% of Netflix’s total viewing, showing just how vast and varied the platform’s audience really is.
