Two big reasons have been the natural impetus behind MultiChoice and M-Net's move to switch production of its reality competition series Big Brother Nigeria from South Africa to Nigeria - both having to do with the pay-TV operator's intent to improve local TV production quality and standards in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa.
This week MultiChoice Nigeria and M-Net West Africa announced that Big Brother Naija has been renewed for a 4th season that will kick off after the conclusion of the upcoming Nigerian general elections.
MultiChoice Africa and M-Net however also surprised by revealing that the new season would be produced in Lagos instead of Johannesburg, South Africa where the existing Big Brother house in Linden, production facilities and production company Red Pepper Productions are based and that had been used so far for Big Brother Naija as well as the continental Big Brother Africa versions.
Previous seasons of Big Brother Naija in 2017 and 2018 were done in South Africa with contestants, family members and some Nigerian crew flown in, and then broadcast to Nigeria and across Africa on a dedicated Big Brother channel for DStv subscribers.
MultiChoice Nigeria and M-Net West Africa repeatedly explained that producing the show in South Africa is cheaper, safer, easier and ensures higher production values for viewers across the continent than what is possible in Nigeria where constantly interrupted electricity supply, hard to find TV technical skills, security issues, and other production issues make Big Brother Naija impractical and would make production costs soar.
Behind-the-scenes however two crucial things changed, that combined led to MultiChoice and M-Net deciding to switch production of the Endemol Shine Group's reality series from Johannesburg to Lagos.
Firstly, with a long-term view, MultiChoice and M-Net saw the sense in trying to expand the existing TV production capacity in Nigeria and West Africa to try and raise over time both the physical studio floor space available to use for multi-production of various shows for the region, but also over time production quality and standards.
Secondly, MultiChoice Africa decided to launch its MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) initiative in mid-2018 - a sub-Saharan film academy providing year-long internships for talented filmmakers in 3 hubs: Zambia for Southern Africa, Kenya for East Africa, and Nigeria for West Africa.
Having a dedicated real-world studio and studio space available in Lagos, Nigeria would help and provide a hands-on practical sphere where the intern filmmakers from across West Africa could observe, learn and hone their skills next to working production crew.
This lead to the decision to re-purpose an existing facility into new studio space in Lagos that will serve a dual purpose.
"Over the past two Big Brother Naija seasons, MultiChoice took a business decision to use the existing purpose-built facility in South Africa - which was not only cost-effective but also enabled the team to meet tight production deadlines without compromising on quality," Mokgadi Seabi, MultiChoice Africa spokesperson told TVwithThinus.
"This period also gave us time to start the process of replicating the set infrastructure and processes in Nigeria that we believe will deliver the same unmatched production quality that our valued customers have come to enjoy."
"The past two seasons gave us time to start building the infrastructure in Nigeria which, in the long term, will benefit our viewers as we will have a state-of-the-art studio to continue producing some of Nigeria and the continent's best-loved series, variety shows and sports programmes."
"It's also best to note another important factor - the MultiChoice Talent Factory. The West Africa MTF academy is based in Lagos, Nigeria and having this new purpose-built studio with varying functionalities in close proximity to them, will allow the MTF Academy's 20 West African students an opportunity to gain some valuable hands-on experience in various production techniques, through a live show production," says Mokgadi Seabi.
Red Pepper Productions will be the consulting production company in Nigeria, alongside a local production workforce featuring locally-sourced suppliers and in-house experts, says Mokgadi Seabi.
John Ugbe, MultiChoice Nigeria CEO says "this fourth season of Big Brother Naija promises to be even bigger than previous editions and underscores MultiChoice's position as the biggest investor and driver of entertainment content on the continent".
