Actor Emeka Ike explains how cable TV drove him, others out of Nollywood

Actor Emeka Ike has explained why he and some of his other colleagues have been rarely seen featuring in Nollywood movies in recent times.

The actor who separated with his wife some years back revealed in an interview that the advent of cable TV has forced him and his other colleagues to quit Nollywood.

Explaining his absence from the movie scene he said; “It is not just about me; it is about all the actors in my set. You don’t see Jim Iyke, Ramsey Nouah, Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde as often in movies any more as you used to. So, it is not about me alone. It is the new trend that came about when cable television operators came on board.

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“The home video system was not properly structured; so, people started buying decoders. The level of politics in the home video sector was so high and our economic value became affected because initially, we got paid from the funds got from the sales of movies. As an actor, you can determine the fees you will charge for a movie.

“When cable television was introduced, it drastically reduced the sales of movies because some of those movies were already being aired on TV. It is not a personality thing but the lack of structures in the industry. And see where it has brought us.

The actor said he had in the past warned that Nollywood was in danger but no one heeded his warning but he however noted that he will still keep praying for the industry to improve.

“I have gone beyond pressing for positive changes in the industry. I have stopped wishing Nollywood anything because I see that change is far. Some years ago, you could hear me say Nollywood was dying, but you will never hear me say that now.

“I realised that whenever I tried to speak with people on how we could lift Nollywood higher, they didn’t do anything. Some of them are not even informed about what is going on in the industry. Now, it just seems like I am a noise maker but I keep praying that God helps us in 2019,” he added.

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