Dealers in Hausa films in Kano, on Wednesday said that there was low patronage in the sale of DVD’s as viewers now prefer cinemas and viewing centres.
Some of the traders, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), appealed for intervention before their business collapse.
Auwal Bature, a dealer at the famous Wambai films market, said that most movie lovers in Kano have resorted to cinemas and viewing centres to watch latest movies and no longer purchase DVD’s.
According to him, although people from other countries come to buy the films, the business was no longer booming locally.
Similarly, Surajo Muktar said that most dealers have opted for other businesses such as sale of religious films.
“Hausa movies are now released many months after such movies have shown in cinemas so, when they hit the market, people are no longer keen,” he explained.
He said that there was the need for film producers to partner the traders in the area of distribution so that their business would not suffer setback.
Meanwhile, Falalu Dorayi, popular distributor and film producer, described the cinemas as the first market outlet for Hausa films.
He disclosed that some producers travel to many African countries such as Cameroun, Niger and Tchad to premiere their films in the cinemas.
Mr. Dorayi said that there was the need for marketers to adopt new strategies and move with the new trend if they wanted their business to improve.
According to Mr. Dorayi, “the cinemas provide an avenue for a producer to get his money at once unlike the local markets that the money comes in bits.’’
He however, appealed to wealthy individuals to invest in the entertainment industry by providing cinemas and viewing centres across the state.