[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"nav-categories":3,"article-showmax-shutdown-leaves-african-screen-industry-in-crisis-filmmakers-now-bet-everything-on-mobile-micro-dramas":70},{"data":4},[5,37,57,64],{"name":6,"slug":7,"categories":8},"Productivity","productivity",[9,13,17,21,25,29,33],{"id":10,"title":11,"slug":12},17,"Branding","branding",{"id":14,"title":15,"slug":16},19,"Marketing","marketing",{"id":18,"title":19,"slug":20},20,"Work","work",{"id":22,"title":23,"slug":24},34,"Community","community",{"id":26,"title":27,"slug":28},21,"For newbies","for-newbies",{"id":30,"title":31,"slug":32},24,"Investment","investment",{"id":34,"title":35,"slug":36},22,"Finance","finance",{"name":38,"slug":39,"categories":40},"Tech","tech",[41,45,49,53],{"id":42,"title":43,"slug":44},28,"Technology","technology",{"id":46,"title":47,"slug":48},32,"Artificial Intelligence","artificial-intelligence",{"id":50,"title":51,"slug":52},26,"Security and protection","security-and-protection",{"id":54,"title":55,"slug":56},31,"YouTube Blog","youtube-blog",{"name":58,"slug":59,"categories":60},"News","news",[61],{"id":62,"title":58,"slug":63},18,"quasanews",{"name":65,"slug":66,"categories":67},"Business","business",[68],{"id":69,"title":65,"slug":66},16,{"post":71,"published_news":95,"popular_news":144,"categories":209},{"title":72,"description":73,"meta_title":72,"meta_description":74,"meta_keywords":75,"text":76,"slug":77,"created_at":78,"publish_at":79,"formatted_created_at":80,"category_id":69,"links":81,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":86,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"category":89},"Showmax Shutdown Leaves African Screen Industry in Crisis — Filmmakers Now Bet Everything on Mobile Micro-Dramas","The mood across Africa’s film and TV community is unusually somber. After months of losses, Canal+ has officially pulled the plug on Showmax, its once-ambitious pan-African streaming service. The closure marks another major retreat by global platforms from the continent, leaving local creators wondering who will fund and distribute African stories in the years ahead.","With Showmax gone, the list of serious buyers for local productions has shrunk to a worrying handful — with Netflix now looking like the last major player still standing.","The closure marks another major retreat by global platforms from the continent, leaving local creators wondering who will fund and distribute African stories in the years ahead.","\u003Cp>The mood across Africa’s film and TV community is unusually somber.\u003Ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/film/global/african-screen-industries-tech-market-turbulence-1236681506/\"> After months of losses, Canal+ has officially pulled the plug on \u003Cstrong>Showmax\u003C/strong>, its once-ambitious pan-African streaming service\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"201\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2026-03-25T184810.731.jpg\" width=\"300\" /> The closure marks another major retreat by global platforms from the continent, leaving local creators wondering who will fund and distribute African stories in the years ahead.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>It’s not the first blow. Amazon Prime Video has already scaled back dramatically, virtually ending its investment in original African content.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>With Showmax gone, the list of serious buyers for local productions has shrunk to a worrying handful — with Netflix now looking like the last major player still standing.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>The Streaming Desert Is Getting Bigger\u003C/strong>\u003C/h4>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-right\" height=\"201\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2026-03-25T184816.149.jpg\" width=\"300\" />For African filmmakers and producers, the situation feels existential. Just a few years ago the continent was being hailed as the next big streaming frontier. International money flowed in, local languages were celebrated, and homegrown hits were born. Now the opposite is happening: platforms are leaving faster than they arrived.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>At the recent Johannesburg film festival, one producer summed up the collective anxiety with a blunt metaphor:  \u003Cbr />\n\u003Cem> “The Chinese wrote the first chapter of vertical entertainment. Now we have to study the script and write our own African ending.”\u003C/em>\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>The Mobile-First Future: Micro-Dramas to the Rescue?\u003C/strong>\u003C/h4>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"298\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2026-03-25T184813.582.jpg\" width=\"200\" />Instead of despair, many in the industry are pivoting hard toward a new format that matches the reality of African audiences: **micro-dramas** — ultra-short vertical series designed specifically for phones.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The numbers are compelling. Industry forecasts predict the global vertical video (short-form, phone-first) sector could generate **$26 billion annually by 2030**. In Africa, where the smartphone is often the *only* screen for millions of people, this format feels tailor-made.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Cape Town-based production house \u003Cstrong>Both Worlds\u003C/strong> has already moved first. The company announced a major partnership with American vertical-content specialist \u003Cstrong>Freeli Films\u003C/strong> to co-produce a slate of mobile-first series. Other producers are experimenting with localized versions of popular Korean micro-dramas, dubbing or subtitling them into indigenous languages to test what resonates locally.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Ch4>Why This Could Work\u003C/h4>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-right\" height=\"447\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2026-03-25T184808.648.jpg\" width=\"300\" />Vertical micro-dramas are cheap to produce, fast to make, and perfectly suited to how Africans actually consume video — on small screens, in short bursts, often on mobile data. They don’t require expensive theatrical releases or high-bandwidth streaming subscriptions. They can be distributed directly via WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and local social platforms.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>For creators who once dreamed of competing with big-budget Netflix originals, this shift represents both a step down in prestige and a potential step up in reach. As one Johannesburg filmmaker put it: “We don’t need another expensive prestige drama that only 200,000 people will watch. We need stories that reach 20 million people on their phones every day.”\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Also read:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/the-delve-scandal-how-two-21-year-old-forbes-30-under-30-founders-built-a-300m-ai-compliance-unicorn-and-are-now-accused-of-selling-fake-reports\">The Delve Scandal: How Two 21-Year-Old Forbes 30 Under 30 Founders Built a $300M “AI Compliance” Unicorn — And Are Now Accused of Selling Fake Reports\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/china-just-approved-the-world-s-first-commercial-brain-chip-and-it-s-a-narrow-invasive-one-that-actually-works\">China Just Approved the World’s First Commercial Brain Chip — And It’s a Narrow, Invasive One That Actually Works\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/why-meta-s-new-ray-ban-display-ai-glasses-are-still-missing-from-europe-the-ironic-cost-of-consumer-friendly-regulations\">Why Meta’s New Ray-Ban Display AI Glasses Are Still Missing From Europe: The Ironic Cost of “Consumer-Friendly” Regulations\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/institutional-ai-vs-individual-ai-why-swapping-the-motor-isn-t-enough-it-s-time-to-redesign-the-factory\">Institutional AI vs. Individual AI: Why Swapping the Motor Isn’t Enough — It’s Time to Redesign the Factory\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>The Road Ahead\u003C/strong>\u003C/h4>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"223\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2026-03-25T184802.879.jpg\" width=\"150\" />No one is pretending the loss of Showmax is good news. The contraction of international streaming investment hurts funding, talent pipelines, and long-form storytelling. But the crisis is also forcing the industry to confront a truth it has long known: in Africa, the future of screen entertainment will be mobile-first, vertical, and short-form.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The Chinese proved the model works at massive scale. Korean creators showed how addictive storytelling can travel. Now African filmmakers are determined to write the next chapter — one that feels authentically their own.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Whether micro-dramas become the lifeboat that keeps the entire industry afloat remains to be seen. But right now, they represent the clearest, most practical path forward in a continent where the phone \u003Cstrong>is\u003C/strong> the cinema. \u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The cameras aren’t stopping. They’re simply turning vertical.\u003C/p>","showmax-shutdown-leaves-african-screen-industry-in-crisis-filmmakers-now-bet-everything-on-mobile-micro-dramas","2026-03-25T17:50:16.000000Z","2026-04-07T06:44:00.000000Z","07.04.2026",{"image":82,"thumb":83},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/VNyFXzXDGJLKejycWNbh1ePKPbsVpyFGX2iMvqJ3.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/VNyFXzXDGJLKejycWNbh1ePKPbsVpyFGX2iMvqJ3.jpg","small",null,266,0,"en",{"id":69,"title":65,"slug":66,"meta_title":90,"meta_description":91,"meta_keywords":92,"deleted_at":85,"created_at":93,"updated_at":94,"lang":88},"Quasa Media - Growth Hacking in Business","Business is a battlefield. In QUASA MEDIA you will find all the most useful articles on how to do business and not screw up.","Business, earn money, business strategy, business process","2021-08-03T10:59:17.000000Z","2024-08-25T15:45:11.000000Z",[96,108,119,122,133],{"title":97,"description":98,"slug":99,"created_at":100,"publish_at":101,"formatted_created_at":80,"category":102,"links":103,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":106,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},"YouTube Is Tightening the Screws: Unskippable Long Ads Are Coming — Even If You Don’t Like It","YouTube has officially decided to stop pretending.In a move that many saw coming but hoped would never actually happen, the platform is rolling out longer, unskippable ads — and they’re starting with the TV app.","youtube-is-tightening-the-screws-unskippable-long-ads-are-coming-even-if-you-don-t-like-it","2026-03-25T18:13:01.000000Z","2026-04-07T11:07:00.000000Z",{"title":55,"slug":56},{"image":104,"thumb":105},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/jDkf2DFZ7806GqMWYw0QxMTPHUHpgImLFgi4BTPE.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/jDkf2DFZ7806GqMWYw0QxMTPHUHpgImLFgi4BTPE.jpg",62,false,{"title":109,"description":110,"slug":111,"created_at":112,"publish_at":113,"formatted_created_at":80,"category":114,"links":115,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":118,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},"Stranger Things Is Heading to the Kitchen: Netflix Turns Overcooked into Its Next Big Franchise Play","Netflix is once again proving it will try literally anything to get you to open the Games tab.","stranger-things-is-heading-to-the-kitchen-netflix-turns-overcooked-into-its-next-big-franchise-play","2026-03-25T18:04:36.000000Z","2026-04-07T09:53:00.000000Z",{"title":58,"slug":63},{"image":116,"thumb":117},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/rOBSyjv4EZhVjNfbcHhgjnJKaY05XHB0FcOVRnXU.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/rOBSyjv4EZhVjNfbcHhgjnJKaY05XHB0FcOVRnXU.jpg",123,{"title":72,"description":73,"slug":77,"created_at":78,"publish_at":79,"formatted_created_at":80,"category":120,"links":121,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":86,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":82,"thumb":83},{"title":123,"description":124,"slug":125,"created_at":126,"publish_at":127,"formatted_created_at":80,"category":128,"links":129,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":132,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},"Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi Just Said What Every Other Executive Is Too Scared to Admit: AI Will Replace 70-80% of Human Work","While most corporate leaders are busy preaching the comforting gospel of “AI creates more jobs than it destroys” and “it’s a tool, not a replacement,” Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi just went full truth mode.","uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-just-said-what-every-other-executive-is-too-scared-to-admit-ai-will-replace-70-80-of-human-work","2026-03-25T17:43:14.000000Z","2026-04-07T03:33:00.000000Z",{"title":47,"slug":48},{"image":130,"thumb":131},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/BLwVnZEkWVH2PNnNbLCvRqYV5x4YsiJ0KUJIIbYo.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/BLwVnZEkWVH2PNnNbLCvRqYV5x4YsiJ0KUJIIbYo.jpg",403,{"title":134,"description":135,"slug":136,"created_at":137,"publish_at":137,"formatted_created_at":138,"category":139,"links":140,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":143,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},"Major Update to quasa.io: A Bold Leap into the Future of Digital Excellence","The new quasa.io is faster, smarter, more beautiful, and significantly more enjoyable to use. It reflects our commitment to continuous innovation and our belief that great digital experiences should be effortless.","major-update-to-quasa-io-a-bold-leap-into-the-future-of-digital-excellence","2026-04-06T11:43:31.000000Z","06.04.2026",{"title":58,"slug":63},{"image":141,"thumb":142},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/T12ikCbCEbWit9wAaXtOa105nmEcUajOjCXdTuOX.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/T12ikCbCEbWit9wAaXtOa105nmEcUajOjCXdTuOX.jpg",808,[145,158,172,184,197],{"title":146,"description":147,"slug":148,"created_at":149,"publish_at":150,"formatted_created_at":151,"category":152,"links":153,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":156,"likes":157,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},"The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur","Entrepreneur is a French word that means an enterpriser. Enterprisers are people who undertake a business or enterprise with the chance of earning profits or suffering from loss.","the-anatomy-of-an-entrepreneur","2021-08-04T15:18:21.000000Z","2025-12-14T06:09:00.000000Z","14.12.2025",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":154,"thumb":155},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/mVsXPTMuHZuI7UXCsENgL1Qwp1uSOf7Rz3uVPMfm.webp","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/mVsXPTMuHZuI7UXCsENgL1Qwp1uSOf7Rz3uVPMfm.webp",66272,2,{"title":159,"description":160,"slug":161,"created_at":162,"publish_at":163,"formatted_created_at":164,"category":165,"links":166,"view_type":169,"video_url":85,"views":170,"likes":171,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},"Advertising on QUASA","QUASA MEDIA is read by more than 400 thousand people a month. We offer to place your article, add a link or order the writing of an article for publication.","advertising-on-quasa","2022-07-06T07:33:02.000000Z","2025-12-15T17:33:02.000000Z","15.12.2025",{"title":58,"slug":63},{"image":167,"thumb":168},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.jpg","large",65364,4,{"title":173,"description":174,"slug":175,"created_at":176,"publish_at":177,"formatted_created_at":178,"category":179,"links":180,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":183,"likes":171,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},"What is a Startup?","A startup is not a new company, not a tech company, nor a new tech company. You can be a new tech company, if your goal is not to grow high and fast; then, you are not a startup. ","what-is-a-startup","2021-08-04T12:05:17.000000Z","2025-12-17T13:02:00.000000Z","17.12.2025",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":181,"thumb":182},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/EOsQhSW3VXyG7a6NPdE1oZd00xfJXe3bjY5aJGb7.webp","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/EOsQhSW3VXyG7a6NPdE1oZd00xfJXe3bjY5aJGb7.webp",64200,{"title":185,"description":186,"slug":187,"created_at":188,"publish_at":189,"formatted_created_at":190,"category":191,"links":192,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":195,"likes":157,"lang":88,"comments_count":196,"is_pinned":107},"Top 5 Tips to Make More Money as a Content Creator","Content creators are one of the most desired job titles right now. Who wouldn’t want to earn a living online?","top-5-tips-to-make-more-money-as-a-content-creator","2022-01-17T17:31:51.000000Z","2026-01-17T11:30:00.000000Z","17.01.2026",{"title":19,"slug":20},{"image":193,"thumb":194},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.jpg",38911,1,{"title":198,"description":199,"slug":200,"created_at":201,"publish_at":202,"formatted_created_at":203,"category":204,"links":205,"view_type":169,"video_url":85,"views":208,"likes":157,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":107},"8 Logo Design Tips for Small Businesses","Your logo tells the story of your business and the values you stand for.","8-logo-design-tips-for-small-businesses","2021-12-04T21:59:52.000000Z","2025-05-05T03:30:00.000000Z","05.05.2025",{"title":15,"slug":16},{"image":206,"thumb":207},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.jpg",38510,[210,211,212,213,214,215,216,217,218,219,220,221,222],{"title":23,"slug":24},{"title":47,"slug":48},{"title":55,"slug":56},{"title":43,"slug":44},{"title":51,"slug":52},{"title":31,"slug":32},{"title":35,"slug":36},{"title":27,"slug":28},{"title":19,"slug":20},{"title":15,"slug":16},{"title":58,"slug":63},{"title":11,"slug":12},{"title":65,"slug":66}]