Is M-Net finally ready to announce that The Voice SA is coming to South Africa? And who will be swiveling in the red chairs?
According to sources M-Net is apparently
going to announce to advertisers this afternoon in Johannesburg at M-Net's
content showcase that the pay-TV broadcaster has officially picked up the
rights to The Voice SA as its new
reality singing show to sit alongside the longrunning Idols SA.
South African viewers have been waiting for a
long time for a localised version of the singing format show with the South
African pay-TV broadcaster which first started looking into the possibility of
acquiring the rights for a local version of The
Voice over a year and a half ago.
SABC3 was first to start showing the American
version of The Voice and then also
explored the possibility of doing a local version, The Voice SA. The ongoing money trouble and severe budget
constraints at the SABC not only scuppered the local content plan but also saw
the loss of the American show to M-Net.
M-Net then diligently started showing the
American version of The Voice as it
planned to grow familiarity with the singing competition franchise and its
format for its own pay-TV and DStv subscribers and to then possibly follow it up with a local version.
Exactly a year ago at DStv and M-Net's local
content showcase, M-Net South Africa CEO Yolisa Phahle, in response to a
question from TV with Thinus confirmed that M-Net had been looking into the
possibility of doing a local version of The
Voice SA for a few months already at that time. She was however coy as to
how far at that time negotiations were and non-committal about plans.
According to sources, M-Net was also looking
for and evaluating "newer" shows and formats, with one M-Net executive
describing The Voice and a local
version as "somewhat tired" since viewers have now seen too much of it.
A possible The Voice SA also has a higher hurdle to cross since M-Net and
Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) already have the successful Idols which maintains decent ratings and because The Voice up to a year ago still had an
association with SABC3 and didn't start off originally as an M-Net foreign
content acquisition.
When M-Net gathered South Africa's TV critics
in a Camps Bay hotel a few months ago to announce a huge new local production –
which turned out to be Power Couple SA
produced by Afrokaans and starting on 10 September on M-Net – pre-speculation under
the press was that M-Net was finally going to announce either The Voice SA or an African version of The Amazing Race. It didn't happen.
The conspicuous lack of a new season of Big Brother Africa this year – a reality
show done by M-Net from South Africa for DStv – also led to some speculation
the past few weeks that M-Net seems to be saving money for something else
that’s big.
Now once some of the press covering
television, as well as advertisers, are whispering that an announcement on The Voice SA – on which M-Net has
apparently been sitting for some time – is imminent and could possibly come
this afternoon when M-Net reveals its upcoming programming slate to ad buyers.
The local TV biz will find out soon enough
whether this time is considered the right time for M-Net for a local version of
The Voice.
A lot of questions
The addition of a possible The Voice SA by M-Net comes with a lot
of questions.
If M-Net were to do the show, what would
happen to Idols SA? Will both reality
singing shows co-exist? If they co-exist, will viewers see seasons
simultaneously, or will M-Net alternate the shows to give viewers and those
entering some breathing room? Or will the 11th season of Idols be its final one, replaced by The Voice SA?
Will The
Voice SA be a co-production between M-Net (DStv 101) and Mzansi Magic as
with Idols the past few seasons to
help pool and boost ratings, give sponsors a bigger audience and reach, and
make it more workable from a commissioning budget point of view?
Do South African viewers have reality singing
and talent show fatigue with an avalanche of shows ranging from SA’s Got Talent on e.tv and SABC1 (which
doesn't have money for more The X-Factor
SA this year), and will there be enough people who might want to enter yet
another new talent search show?
With the blond pop singer Christina Aguilera
who is a judge on the American version of The
Voice visiting South Africa on 17 October to perform at ANN7's (DStv 405) 2nd South African of the Year Awards,
will she be helping out for a local version, perhaps record a promo or two or
do something else production wise in relation to The Voice SA if there is to be one?
And which local celebs will sit in the red
swivel chairs if there is to be a The
Voice SA … and will one of them stroke a cat?
