In November last year I asked and M-Net told me the pay broadcaster is looking at trying to get The X Factor. Now I'm told that a local version of this hit reality show that started to overshadow and replace Pop Idol in Britain and will start this year in America is now ''a very, very strong possibility'' on M-Net.
Another titbit - and this one is difficult since. Because of the tense and the way the sentence was said, I have no way of knowing whether it refers to something that happened and is not considered anymore, or something considered and actually still being considered. Here goes:
''M-Net considered Wipeout for South Africa as a local reality production. We have to make business decisions based on what we think will work, what we think will get audiences. We absolutely keep our fingers on the pulse of the latest TV trends in shows.''
That's exactly how I heard it and unfortunately I can't tell whether a local Wipeout would still be on the cards, or whether it was considered but the idea discarded. Often TV execs talk in the past tense but mean present. So I can't give more context as a journalist than just accurately conveying what I was told.
