Impact Of Covid-19 Lockdown On Nigerian Entertainment Industry

The Nigerian entertainment industry in general has experienced substantial negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic since President Muhammadu Buhari first announced a 14-day national lockdown on March 31, 2020, which abruptly halted the activities of the industry across the country.
Those immediately impacted by the lockdown directive include the Nigerian film industry and it’s workforce as movie theatres have been shutdown, art exhibitions, musical concerts and comedy shows either cancelled or postponed, while tourism, arts and culture were equally hit badly by the lockdown.
Other entertainment outlets like amusement centres, parks, nightclubs that largely survive on daily basis were also affected.
In the movie industry, many Nigerian film makers including Omoni Oboli who was shooting a new TV series “Last Year Single’’ had to halt the production abruptly. The Covid-19 pandemic has no doubt sparked a dramatic first for movie industries across the world. As the lockdown persists, film makers are screening their movies for free on online platforms like You Tube.
As cinemas and movie theatres remain closed across the world, the global box office revenues have dropped significantly, while movie streaming site owners rake in huge cash flow, film exhibitors are counting their loses
Cinemas Exhibitors Association Of Nigeria (CEAN) in a recent report online stated that they had lost as much as 30 per cent of the weekend revenues since January 2020. According to the report, between January 17 and 19, Nigerian cinemas grossed N 75.9 million, the figure dropped by 20.8 per cent to N60.1 million by the first weekend of February
At the beginning of March, the figure dwindled further to N 54.9 million and two weeks after, the figure stood at N 45,283.647.The Nigerian Cinema Exhibitors and Operators (NCEO) noted that the industry’s revenue dropped by as much as 30.65 per cent between January and March 2020  and there is no respite for now as the Corona virus has already taken toll in the industry.
The music clan is not left out of the dwindling revenue saga in the industry as numerous music events, including music festivals, concert tours and award shows have been cancelled or postponed, while some musicians and composers were able to use the time to create works, they were flow on effects on many supporting people who relied on performers for their income. Several album releases have been delayed as well.
There is no aspect of the Nigerian music industry that was not affected by the Coronavirus outbreak and lockdown. According to a recent report on line, the most obvious though are the big names, Davido,Asa and Sinach, who had to postpone their tours and of course the cancellation of big shows like Gidifest. Many music video shoots and recording sessions have also been put on hold.
If anything, this season is challenging Nigerian musicians to think out of the box to remain relevant and make some income for as long as the lockdown persists. Many Nigerian musicians especially the A-listers have lost a lot of money already.
Recently, music executive, Jude Okoye of the defunct  P Square advised his colleagues to brace up for a long holiday and a year without live shows, it might however be longer, that is if a new study published in the journal science by epidemiologists from Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health is any thing to go by.
According to the study, in the absence of a vaccine or any effective treatment for corona virus, social distancing measures affecting gatherings like concerts may need to be delayed into 2022. This means that many musicians might be unable to hold shows and concerts until 2022,that is almost two years from now.
As Nigerian entertainment continues to be affected by restrictions in response to the outbreak of Covid-19,the practitioners are moving to stream performances instead of physical shows. Take Nigerian comedian, Ay Makun for instance, who decided to host his annual comedy show, ‘Ay Live’, from the confines of his sprawling Lekki mansion on Instagram live with one guest, fellow comedian, Funny Bone.
The concert received a lot of positive reactions on social media and has been uploaded on Ay’s You Tube channel for fans to enjoy on demand. Ace Nigerian musician ,2 Baba, also held an e-concert on Instagram on April 12, just as several Nigerian DJs have also jumped on the trend.
Some popular night clubs in Port Harcourt and Lagos are also starting to stream live shows in their entire club session on You Tube, Facebook and Instagram on Friday and Saturday nights. Now more than ever, music streaming services like Spotify, Amazon music, You Tube, Band camp, sound cloud and Tidal are experiencing huge numbers of subscription and down loads across the world.
Tourism and Aviation are among the hardest hit by the lockdown and travel restrictions have caused huge slump in demand among travellers, mostly the local and foreign airlines suspended operations with all the airports under lockdown by the federal government. As of March 2020,the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had reported an estimated revenue loss of N252 billion in the sector globally under Covid-19.
In the hospitality sector, it is no secret that the sector has been equally hit by the pandemic with many of the employees either out of work or losing hours due to travel restrictions as a result of the shut down of businesses and social distancing. The hotels have been experiencing very low patronage, in fact multi- billion naira worth of deals have been lost in the sector according to online reports.

Jacob Obinna