Nile Takes UIP: Paramount and Universal Shift to Babatope
February 14, 2026
On 13 February 2026, Nile Entertainment — led by Moses Babatope — announced that it has been appointed theatrical distribution partner for United International Pictures (UIP) in Anglophone West Africa, specifically Nigeria and Ghana, effective 27 February 2026. UIP is the international theatrical joint venture owned equally by Paramount Pictures (Paramount Global, United States) and Universal Pictures (Comcast/NBCUniversal, United States). In territories where it does not operate directly, UIP appoints a local company to release films in cinemas.
The appointment transfers responsibility for Paramount and Universal theatrical releases in Nigeria and Ghana to Nile. The press release states: "UIP and Nile also acknowledge the contribution of Silverbird Film Distribution, which has supported UIP titles across the region for more than eight years." No reason is given for the change from Silverbird to Nile.
Nigeria is the largest commercial cinema market in West Africa, with consistent multiplex expansion over the past decade. As of 2025 regulatory and industry reporting, the country operates approximately 351 cinema screens across 93 physical cinema locations, with Lagos as the dominant box office city. Ghana's theatrical market is smaller, with fewer screens concentrated primarily in Accra. These two markets form the core of Anglophone West African theatrical revenue for Hollywood studio releases.
In Nigeria, FilmOne Entertainment serves as the exclusive theatrical licensee in Anglophone West Africa for The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Empire Entertainment. Silverbird Film Distribution has served as the local partner for Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures under the United International Pictures (UIP) arrangement. The February 2026 UIP appointment transfers one of the major Hollywood studio distribution mandates in Nigeria from Silverbird — among the earliest modern multiplex developments in Nigeria — to Nile Entertainment.
To be sure, Nile had already publicly structured itself as a vertically integrated media group across production, distribution, exhibition, and studio partnerships. Announcements in 2024 and 2025 positioned the company within cinema expansion, international production alliances, and consolidated operating divisions under the broader Nile Media/Nile Group identity. The UIP mandate is simply the previously articulated multi-division strategy continually in practice, not a new directional shift.
NILE'S EXPANSION ACTIVITY
In November 2024, Nile Group announced a five-year ambition to deploy up to 1,000 cinema screens in Nigeria with a partnership connected to the Ojaja Film and Talent City initiative. In late 2025, Nile Cinemas expanded further by integrating former VIVA Cinemas locations in Ikeja, Ibadan, Ilorin, and Enugu. This brought Nile's operational cinema network to eight locations across multiple geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
On 8 September 2025, Nile entered a first-look partnership with the UK-based label Action Xtreme. Under that agreement, Nile participates in the development, co-production, and African distribution of a slate of action films. The first title under the partnership, "Son of the Soil," was released in Nigerian cinemas on 31 October 2025. This shifts Nile's role beyond releasing completed films in cinemas, into production and financing relationships.
In January 2026, Nile was announced as part of a coordinated theatrical consortium — alongside Genesis Group and Silverbird Group — for the Mo Abudu/EbonyLife-produced "Baba Segi's Wives" film adaptation, scheduled for a December 2026 theatrical-first release. That rarified structure aligns key Nigerian producers, distributors, and cinema operators around a unified release plan.
By 13 February 2026, Nile had secured the UIP mandate for Paramount and Universal in Nigeria and Ghana.
Taken together, between late 2024 and February 2026, Nile expanded its exhibition network, entered international production partnerships, and secured the UIP distribution mandate for Paramount and Universal in Nigeria and Ghana.
STRUCTURAL READING
"West Africa continues to grow as one of the most dynamic theatrical markets in the world," said Cameron Hogg, Managing Director, UIP South Africa. "With audiences expanding, cinema infrastructure evolving, and exhibitors investing in premium experiences, the region is entering an exciting new chapter. We look forward to working closely with Nile as we bring a strong lineup of Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures releases to audiences across Nigeria, Ghana, and the wider Anglophone West African market."
Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures releases regularly appear among Nigeria's top-grossing theatrical titles, including franchise films such as "Fast X" (Universal Pictures, May 2023) and "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" (Paramount Pictures, July 2023). From 27 February 2026, Nile Entertainment will release these titles in Nigeria and Ghana under the UIP mandate.
Nigeria's theatrical market already operates on an integrated distributor–exhibitor model. FilmOne Group combines FilmOne Entertainment (distribution) with Filmhouse Cinemas (exhibition). Note that Nile chief Babatope co-founded FilmOne Entertainment and Filmhouse Cinemas, where he previously oversaw Hollywood studio licensing relationships and multiplex expansion in Nigeria before his departure in early 2024, later launching Nile Group.
Silverbird Group combines Silverbird Film Distribution with Silverbird Cinemas. Genesis Group operates Genesis Pictures (distribution) and Genesis Cinemas (exhibition). With its expanding cinema network, Nile now holds the Paramount and Universal mandate within the same distributor–exhibitor model.
The February 13, 2026, appointment changes the corporate holder of the UIP slate in Nigeria and Ghana, from Silverbird to Nile. The underlying integrated system remains consistent.
THE LONG GAME
The longer-term test will be scale and stability. For Nile and Babatope specifically, the UIP appointment functions as a kind of performance test tied directly to his prior track record, and whether he leverages the agreement to secure additional studio relationships or co-financing structures beyond the current slate. Will other Hollywood studios reconsider their Nigerian partners as existing agreements mature?
Furthermore, as Nile takes control of Paramount and Universal releases in both Nigeria and Ghana under the same UIP appointment — with Ghana having historically functioned as a smaller, Nigeria-adjacent extension of studio distribution — one key indicator now is whether Babatope and Nile develop Ghana as a more actively managed territory within a deliberately structured Anglophone West African strategy.
It's all unfolding as Babatope simultaneously positions Nile as an international-facing media group with outward expansion messaging.
In practical terms, what to watch for is whether Nile evolves from a fast-expanding entrant into a durable studio-aligned distribution group with multi-territory weight.
From where I sit as part of African Film Press (AFP), there's a new competitive variable in Nigeria's theatrical market and wider Anglophone West Africa, with visible spillover into the UK, US, and Canada diaspora-facing position. This is all genuinely compelling to watch play out in real time.