Faith-based entertainment, Christian content dominated the airwaves and social media space in 2025, creating the buzz in the Christian entertainment industry like never before.
In 2025, African descent worked within the global entertainment industry thereby deepening the space for collaboration between faith-based artists from Africa and across the globe.
In Nigeria, a gospel worship song topped YouTube’s most-watched music videos for the year. The country also witnessed a surge in the growth and impact of faith-based music and film coming out of Africa with contemporary Christian creatives having a more direct impact on popular culture across the continent.
“To me, these are signs of a gradual shift in how mainstream audiences engage with Christian entertainment, and the growing influence of the creators behind it.
For faith-driven entrepreneurs in media and entertainment, these developments signal something profound: there is a ready market and the window of opportunity is wide open. We just need to allow God to use us for building the infrastructure that will power the harvest,” Kunle Falodun, co-founder, House of Faith, stated.
He highlighted some trends classified as vehicles through which the gospel of Jesus Christ will hopefully reach more people, convict more souls, and bring hope to millions around the world.
Here are the trends to watch in 2026
The AfroGospel revolution
2026 could be the year for AfroGospel, building on the global success of contemporary Nigerian and West African sounds, a new generation of Christian artistes has emerged, taking this music and making it a vehicle for reaching young urban audiences across Africa and the diaspora with the gospel of Jesus. Before now, the world knew Afrobeat and Afrobeats; however this could be time to know AfroGospel. Building
FaithStream: Africa’s faith-based dedicated streaming home
FaithStream was launched in November 2025, as a Christian streamimh platform co-founded by Hakeem Condotti and Kunle Falodun. The platform seeks to become the premier streaming destination for faith-based entertainment from Africa and the diaspora. Built for the over 700 million Christians who deserve content that reflects their faith and celebrates their culture, and 2026 could be the year for this faith-based platform.
The rise of faith-based social media creators, comics & influencers from Africa
One of the most exciting developments is the emergence of African Christian influencers building significant followings across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Creators like Izzy The Creator (known for his viral “Heaven’s Call Centre” comedy sketches), @Godbackedguy and others are reaching hundreds of thousands with content that weaves Bible themes into relatable, entertaining formats. Initiatives like the African Synodal Digital Youth Faith Influencers (ASDYFI) are now training certified digital faith influencers across 50 African countries, recognising that young people increasingly encounter faith through social media rather than traditional church structures.
Pan-African Christian music tours
Multi-country tours of gospel music stars across Africa and beyond have always happened, but mainly for the biggest names. 2026 could see more African gospel artists break into the global limelight. The success of genres like AfroGospel, increased brand participation in faith-based entertainment, the success of major music concerts like The Experience, and the growth of streaming are creating new commercial pathways for mid-tier and emerging artistes to build international audiences through live performance circuits.
Major streamers doubling down on faith content
According to Ampere Analysis, Amazon Prime Video increased its faith-based content by 204% in 2024, more than double its overall content growth rate. Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max have each grown their faith-based libraries at rates four times greater than their general content expansion.
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African-Western artiste collaborations
With AfroGospel gaining international attention and Western Christian music audiences increasingly seeking fresh sounds, 2026 will see deliberate collaborations between leading African Christian artistes and their Western counterparts. These partnerships will create music that bridges cultures while carrying the gospel to new audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, and beyond.
The birth of faith-based podcast networks for Africa
Lecrae, Kirk Franklin, Gaise Baba, Jackie Hill & Preston Perry and other notable Christian creatives who connect with under-30 youth have successful podcasts and YouTube shows. In 2026, more African Christian voices will enter the podcast space and there could be an emergence of faith-based podcast networks specifically serving African audiences.
Creative adoption of AI and LLMs for the gospel
We are witnessing the birth of AI-powered games, applications, tools, and resources specifically developed to help Christians in their faith journey and evangelism. From AI Bible study assistants to prayer companions and sermon preparation tools, technology is becoming a genuine ally in spiritual formation. While AI adoption continues to generate concerns for creatives around intellectual property, misinformation and other ethical issues – 2026 could see a proliferation of tools created by faith-driven entrepreneurs and innovators who understand both the technology and the theology.
Faith-based blockbusters and premium TV
The success of House of David and The Chosen has proven that faith-based content can compete at the highest levels of production quality and audience engagement. The Chosen Season 5’s three parts grossed over $40 million theatrically before dominating Prime Video’s streaming charts. Fox’s The Faithful and other projects in development suggest Hollywood is paying attention.
Churches as content studios
Established churches are no longer just consumers of faith-based entertainment, they are becoming producers. Mount Zion Faith Ministries, who are pioneers of faith-based filmmaking in Nigeria, was founded by Evangelist Mike Bamiloye in 1985 and has produced several hundred films. Now, the organisation operates a fully accredited institute training the next generation of Christian filmmakers. This model is spreading: pastors and ministry leaders across Africa are launching production arms, YouTube channels, and even cinema-distributed releases to reach audiences beyond the pews.
