EbonyLife Group founder and CEO Mosunmola “Mo” Abudu told a Content London panel on Tuesday that entertainment companies can build profitable businesses by targeting passionate Black niche audiences rather than chasing mass-market scale required by industry giants.
Speaking at a session about diversity-focused content in direct-to-consumer models, Abudu argued that digital distribution has removed traditional gatekeepers. “Nobody is beholden to anybody anymore,” she said. “You can’t control my audience anymore. I’m making content for a specific audience, for that niche. Because it’s enough for my niche.”
She contrasted EbonyLife’s strategy with that of large broadcasters and streamers, noting that mainstream platforms often view diverse content as commercially limited. “It may not be enough for the larger corporations, which is why the larger mainstream broadcasters haven’t actually invested that much in diverse content—simply because maybe it’s not making enough money for them,” Abudu said.
The executive pointed out that hiring diversity officers has not significantly changed commissioning decisions at big companies. “We can employ all the diversity officers that we like in the world… but the truth is only a certain percentage” of diverse projects get greenlit, she stated.
Abudu highlighted EbonyLife’s own track record—local Nigerian box-office successes such as The Wedding Party and Òlòtūré, plus global partnerships with Netflix, Sony, and others—as evidence that serving an underserved audience directly can drive revenue. “If you create a platform that is specifically speaking to an audience that has never been tapped into, you are definitely going to get better [results] because you’re making content that is speaking to them, and you are monetizing because they’re paying,” she said.
She added that smaller operators benefit from lower overheads, allowing profitability at a scale that larger corporations might dismiss.
EbonyLife operates linear channels, a production studio, and EbonyLife ON, its direct-to-consumer streaming service focused on African and African-diaspora content.
