Year of the Faith-Based Creative: Platforms and Trends to Watch in 2026

By Kunle Falodun, Co-founder, House of Faith

2025 was a watershed year for faith-based entertainment. We witnessed a few remarkable events particularly important to believers of African descent working within global entertainment. In Nigeria, the most populous black nation on earth, a gospel worship song topped YouTube’s most-watched music videos for the year. This wasn’t an isolated event as we saw a surge in the growth and impact of faith-based music and film coming out of Africa with contemporary Christian creatives having a more direct impact on popular culture across the continent. I wrote about this phenomenon a few weeks ago.

A similar trend could be seen globally in film and TV as The Chosen continued its extraordinary run, surpassing $140 million in theatrical box office and reaching over 280 million viewers in 175 countries. Meanwhile, House of David drew 22 million viewers in its first 17 days and secured an immediate renewal for a second season. 

To me, these are signs of a gradual shift in how mainstream audiences engage with Christian entertainment, and the growing influence of the creators behind it.

For faith-driven entrepreneurs in media and entertainment, these developments signal something profound: there is a ready market and the window of opportunity is wide open. We just need to allow God to use us for building the infrastructure that will power the harvest.

As we enter 2026, I am genuinely optimistic about what lies ahead and have compiled my top trends, platforms, and movements worth watching. While some are based on hard facts, market data and cultural trends, others are simply personal wishes of mine as an entertainment consumer and Believer. Most importantly, all are vehicles through which the gospel of Jesus Christ will hopefully reach more people, convict more souls, and bring hope to millions around the world.

1.) The AfroGospel Revolution

The world knows Afrobeat (of Fela and Femi Kuti) and Afrobeats (of Wizkid and Davido). Now it is time to know AfroGospel. Building on the global success of contemporary Nigerian and West African sounds, a new generation of Christian artistes has emerged, taking this music and making it a vehicle for reaching young urban audiences across Africa and the diaspora with the gospel of Jesus.

Led by talented voices like Gaise Baba, Limoblaze, and Greatman Takit, the movement is expanding rapidly from university campuses to youth fellowships and mega churches, powered by streaming platforms and TikTok virality. When a gospel worship song beats every secular artiste to become Nigeria's number one music video of the year, the culture has already shifted. I expect AfroGospel to grow even bigger this year, and it is surely something to watch.

2.) FaithStream: Africa's Faith-Based Streaming Home

This one is personal. FaithStream is the project into which me, my co-founder Hakeem Condotti and our incredible team of Trustees and Volunteers have been pouring our hearts for months. We announced the platform in November 2025, and we are now just weeks away from its global launch.

Our vision is to become the premier streaming destination for faith-based entertainment from Africa and the diaspora. We are building a mobile-first platform offering movies, series, TV shows, documentaries, podcasts, and devotional content that inspires without compromising quality. We are building this for the 700+ million Christians who deserve content that reflects their faith and celebrates their culture.

3.) Pan-African Christian Music Tours

Multi-country tours of gospel music stars across Africa and beyond have always happened, but mainly for the biggest names. In 2026, I expect this to accelerate significantly. The success of genres like AfroGospel, increased brand participation in faith-based entertainment, the success of major music concerts like The Experience, and the growth of streaming are creating new commercial pathways for mid-tier and emerging artistes to build international audiences through live performance circuits.

4.) Major Streamers Doubling Down on Faith Content

According to Ampere Analysis, Amazon Prime Video increased its faith-based content by 204% in 2024, more than double its overall content growth rate. Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max have each grown their faith-based libraries at rates four times greater than their general content expansion. Commercial broadcasters commissioned 29% more faith-based titles in the second half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Some may argue that this could be corporate tokenism, but it looks like strategy to me. The major platforms seem to be recognising that faith audiences represent a loyal, underserved demographic with significant spending power. I expect 2026 to bring even more investment in the genre. And there can never be too much of content that strengthens people’s faith and celebrates positive values in these times we live in.

5.) African-Western Artiste Collaborations

With AfroGospel gaining international attention and Western Christian music audiences increasingly seeking fresh sounds, I anticipate more deliberate collaborations between leading African Christian artistes and their Western counterparts. These partnerships will create music that bridges cultures while carrying the gospel to new audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, and beyond.

6.) The Birth of Faith-Based Podcast Networks for Africa

Lecrae, Kirk Franklin, Gaise Baba, Jackie Hill & Preston Perry and other notable Christian creatives who connect with under-30 youth have successful podcasts and YouTube shows. I expect more African Christian voices to enter this space in 2026. More importantly, I hope to see the emergence of faith-based podcast networks specifically serving African audiences.

I am inspired by the success of Charlamagne Tha God's Black Effect podcast network — a joint venture with iHeartMedia that now boasts over 60 shows and 11 million monthly downloads, with Black Effect recently securing a $200 million deal extension. If there is such an appetite for Black-led audio content in the United States, surely there is a potential opportunity for faith-focused networks serving African Christian audiences. This is also a space where House of Faith will be investing in over the coming months.

7.) Creative Adoption of AI and LLMs for the Gospel

We are witnessing the birth of AI-powered games, applications, tools, and resources specifically developed to help Christians in their faith journey and evangelism. From AI Bible study assistants to prayer companions and sermon preparation tools, technology is becoming a genuine ally in spiritual formation. While AI adoption continues to generate concerns for creatives around intellectual property, misinformation and other ethical issues, I expect 2026 to see a proliferation of tools created by faith-driven entrepreneurs and innovators who understand both the technology and the theology.

8.) More Faith-Based Blockbusters and Premium TV

The success of House of David and The Chosen has proven that faith-based content can compete at the highest levels of production quality and audience engagement. The Chosen Season 5's three parts grossed over $40 million theatrically before dominating Prime Video's streaming charts. Fox's The Faithful and other projects in development suggest Hollywood is paying attention.

I expect 2026 to bring more faith-based blockbuster movies and premium television series, potentially including more children-friendly content. The appetite is there and creative talent exists. What has been missing is investment conviction, and that is hopefully changing. I am hoping that Africa-focused funders, entrepreneurs, faith leaders and creatives will also be inspired by this global trend.

9.) Churches as Content Studios

Established churches are no longer just consumers of faith-based entertainment, they are becoming producers. Mount Zion Faith Ministries, who are pioneers of faith-based filmmaking in Nigeria, was founded by Evangelist Mike Bamiloye in 1985 and has produced several hundred films. Now, the organisation operates a fully accredited institute training the next generation of Christian filmmakers. This model is spreading: pastors and ministry leaders across Africa are launching production arms, YouTube channels, and even cinema-distributed releases to reach audiences beyond the pews. 

I expect 2026 to see more churches embrace content production as a legitimate arm of ministry, recognising that millions encounter faith through entertainment and social media before they ever step into a church building.

10.) Black Sport Stars for Christ

One of the most exciting cultural developments of 2025 was the bold public proclamation of faith by black Premier League footballers. Manchester City's Jeremy Doku was baptised in September, prompting questions about the meaning of baptism across social media. Gabriel Jesus revealed an “I belong to Jesus” shirt after scoring his first goal following ACL recovery, declaring in post-match interviews that “Jesus saved my life.” Crystal Palace's Marc Guéhi and Eddie Nketiah, and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze have spoken openly about how faith strengthens their team.

I expect more bold declarations from sports superstars in 2026, not in passing, but through their personal media channels reaching millions of impressionable young people on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Communities like @BallersinGod are creating fellowship spaces for Christian football professionals, and their influence is only growing.

11.) The Rise of Faith-Based Social Media Creators, Comics & Influencers from Africa

One of the most exciting developments is the emergence of African Christian influencers building significant followings across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Creators like Izzy The Creator (known for his viral “Heaven's Call Centre” comedy sketches), @Godbackedguy and others are reaching hundreds of thousands with content that weaves Bible themes into relatable, entertaining formats.

Initiatives like the African Synodal Digital Youth Faith Influencers (ASDYFI) are now training certified digital faith influencers across 50 African countries, recognising that young people increasingly encounter faith through social media rather than traditional church structures. I expect 2026 to see more African Christian creators breaking through in comedy, lifestyle, fashion, and educational content that normalises faith in digital spaces.

12.) Corporate Recalibration on Faith-Based Investment

The pendulum swings of recent years around DEI have created confusion in corporate investment strategies. But here is what I believe: as corporate stakeholders and their families increasingly seek faith-affirming, values-aligned content, and as the dangers of negative online experiences for young people become more apparent, there will be a recalibration.

The biggest corporations that fund platforms, projects, and nonprofits will hopefully recognise the commercial and social value of supporting faith-based media and entertainment. I see 2026 as the year for a meaningful cultural movement led by young people leveraging the power of faith-based media and entertainment, that will penetrate the boardroom leading to a favourable change in corporate strategy. 

Exercising Our Faith As Creatives and Builders

At House of Faith, we are committed to leading this movement for Africa — creating an ecosystem for premium, culturally authentic, faith-based entertainment that inspires, uplifts, and connects communities worldwide. Whether you are a storyteller seeking a platform, a donor passionate about preserving Christian heritage through media, or simply someone hungry for better content that does not compromise your values, we are building for you.

For me, the question isn’t whether these opportunities are realistic or not. The question is: how will you and I help to make things happen?

If 2025 showed us what is possible, 2026 is surely the year to build and flourish.