ABUJA, Nigeria — Chude Jideonwo, the director and host of the viral talk show #WithChude, has announced the upcoming launch of withchude.com, a groundbreaking streaming platform dedicated to mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
The platform is set to go live on August 1, 2024.
The announcement follows the release of the teaser for Jideonwo’s latest docu-drama, Is It Your Money?, which tells the gripping story of Nigeria’s first female oil minister who is currently on trial in the United Kingdom after fleeing her home country.
The film’s anticipation underscores Jideonwo’s continued impact on the African media landscape.
“This is what we have spent the past three years working on,” Jideonwo revealed. “This is where the vision has been leading.”
“It has been inspired over the past decade by my ‘mama’ with the Oprah Winfrey Network, but more practically it has been informed by the success that platforms like TheDailyWire+, Gaia.com, and Angel.com have had finding a niche that changes lives or transforms the culture and building a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platform around that, primarily driven by paid subscribers,” he added.
Withchude.com aims to provide a wide array of content, including popular shows such as #WithChude and #ChudeExplains, new offerings like Japa!, and a selection of critically acclaimed films and specials.
“Sponsors were always telling us they are afraid that we are too deep, and too risky to advertise,” Jideonwo added.
“Some platforms tell us they worry about ‘political risk’ for some of the stories we tell, and we should choose ‘softer’ themes. We don’t get any government patronage. Instead, I have put my faith completely in YOU, the viewer. You have become our lifeline. My lifeline.”
Jideonwo emphasised the need for truly independent media in Africa, free from the influence of governments, major streamers, advertisers, sponsors, and social media platforms that may censor sensitive subjects.
“It really is time for truly independent, public-interest media from Africa,” he stated. “It is time to rely primarily on the audience so that we can tell the stories others can’t tell because of all these gatekeepers,” he added.
Withchude.com will feature factual podcasts, documentaries, series, and films from both Francophone and Anglophone Africa. The platform aims to build a strong connection with audiences by delivering meaningful content that resonates deeply.
“To build a streaming business is not for the faint-hearted, and in this market streamers struggle,” Jideonwo acknowledged.
“But we already disproved that Nigerians don’t pay for content, because they pay in the thousands for withchude.com – they pay if they trust in and believe in a person or an idea. They trust us. They trust the Chude storytelling brand, and they connect with meaningful content. That’s the entry point – one piece of high-quality content at a time.”
With its focus on paid subscriptions and memberships, withchude.com aims to become the leading independent video-first platform in the region.
It has already garnered significant interest from audiences in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Africans in the diaspora, including Germany, the UK, Canada, and the US.
The platform is currently in beta testing for selected viewers worldwide and will fully launch to the public on August 1, 2024.
