Blood Sisters, Netflix’s first Nigerian Original Series produced by a Westminster alumna’s company Ebony Life Studios, made the Netflix Top Ten List in its first week of launch, with 11 million hours viewed.
Blood Sisters made a breakthrough since its global launch on 5 May with its Netflix Top Ten ranking. The series had just a fraction of the budget of many of the major shows that appear in the list and was made in Nigeria. The show has received a variety of positive reviews, with Variety describing it as “An infectious mix of melodrama, dark humour and social commentary.”
The Nigerian thriller tells the story of two friends Sarah and Kemi. Sarah is engaged to her dream man, Kola, however, their seemingly idyllic union has a dark side and despite Kemi’s vocal misgivings, Sarah is determined to press on with their wedding. What follows is a heart-stopping series of catastrophic events marked by murder, love, betrayal and the test of friendship.
The show explores themes including intra-family relationships, love, commitment and the test of friendships when held up against challenging circumstances. Set against the bustling backdrop of Lagos, Nigeria, the limited series is an ode to life in the city as it juxtaposes the various socio-economic divides in Africa’s most famous commercial and social hub.
EbonyLife Media is Nigeria’s premium media conglomerate comprising EbonyLifeTV, EbonyLife Films, EbonyLife Studios, EbonyLife Place and EbonyLife Creative Academy.
EbonyLife Media has a mission to create original and inspiring content that showcases a pioneering and progressive Africa. Their content is strongly rooted in Africa and connected to a global audience, with a vision to be the most influential storyteller of a new Africa. While under Abudu’s leadership, EbonyLife Media have worked with several international studios, including Sony, Netflix, BBC Studios and Lionsgate.
Abudu was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts by the University of Westminster in 2018 for her services to broadcasting and enterprise in Nigeria. She is also a Westminster alumna, having completed a Master’s degree in Manpower Studies in 1993.
Talking about the ranking, Mo Abudu said: “The successful launch of Blood Sisters shows clearly the opportunity that there is with African shows made by EbonyLife for global audiences around the world, working with limited budgets, but still offering great production valuation.”
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