Google ‘Nigerian entertainment websites’. The first result that pops up is www.thenet.ng. That is no fluke or virtual sleight of hand: Thenetng is indeed the number one source of Nigerian entertainment in the world.
Back in the dark ages when the internet was a Hollywood movie trick, entertainment was an appendage to the more serious stuff in the media. The handful of entertainment journals that came and went with the times were not accorded the same respect that traditional media houses got from the audience. Even at those media houses, the entertainment desk was a token – an afterthought as opposed to being an equal component of the media.
By 2009 however, Nigerian entertainment was a confluence of fortunate events: our music and film industries had taken giant strides into becoming un-ignorable by the world. Our music artistes had outgrown Alaba and our film stars had outgrown Iweka Road, Onitsha. This boom – the biggest seen in the country since the oil boom of the ’70s – impacted the economy itself, with entertainment contributing millions of dollars to the Nigerian economy.
What we had by now were world class stars, world class entertainment and millions of adoring fans. At the same time, internet connectivity was becoming more readily available for those fans. As a result, the audience was more sophisticated and demanding than it had ever been. Some smart individuals became bloggers who found ‘gist’ and published for fans enjoy.
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This is the era in which Thenetng was birthed into. Determined to be a media house that operates with journalistic ethics hitherto only seen in traditional media organisations, the mission was to ‘cover the entertainment industry in Nigeria objectively and responsibly, celebrating the best of our stars, and condemning whatever might stand on the way to excellence.’
On Thenetng’s seventh anniversary, can we say that we have done just that? Without an iota of doubt.
We have broken some of the biggest entertainment stories on these shores. We have gone beyond the scenes to report on the biggest issues that concern Nigerian entertainment. We have informed the audience on how to carry Nigerian entertainment with pride. We have taught the world how to treat Nigerian entertainers with their due respect.
We have been a resource centre for all Nigerian entertainment content. We have told the story of Nigerian entertainment to audiences our stars had no idea they could reach. We have done all of this while upholding the ethics of journalism obtainable anywhere in the world. What’s more, we have inspired a ripple effect seen in the several entertainment websites that dot the Nigerian landscape. In 2016, it is safe to say Thenetng is the face of Nigerian entertainment.
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The list of Thenetng exclusives and scoops are endless; the P-Square break up as told by Peter Okoye, Sean Tizzle’s departure from D’Tunes’ Difference Entertainment, D’banj’s first interview post Don Jazzy, the sad demises of Da Grin and Goldie, Omawumi’s private nuptials and on and on.
Thenetng has fused the probing spirit of, say TMZ, with the fluid storytelling found in the New York Times for example, as well as analysis The Economist is reputed for.
However beyond all of these things Thenetng has done for itself, it is more important to look at what it has done for the Nigerian entertainment and urban culture – no longer do our entertainers have to cower in obscurity, hoping to catch the attention of a distracted audience; Thenetng has given Nigerian entertainment a voice, one that needed to be strong and unwavering as the industry climbs to higher heights a daily basis.
We have championed the cause of Nigerian entertainers, being their mouthpiece when even they didn’t know they needed one. We have brought worldwide acclaim to our stars better than any other media organisation has done. We have told our collective story in more lucid terms than anyone has.
And all that we have done while staying true to our first creed in 2009 that while we will amaze you, surprise you annoy or even disappoint you, we will never bore you.
That much is crystal clear ladies and gentlemen: there’s an art to telling the story of Nigerian entertainment. That’s what we swore to do in the beginning and in seven years of our existence, we’ve proven to the world that we’re damn good at it.
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