MultiChoice is giving South African DStv subscribers access to the second season of Big Brother Nigeria, now titled Big Broter Naija - and actually filmed in South Africa - that will start on DStv tonight at 20:00.
Big Brother Naija, the second season of the show following the first after more than a decade, is produced by Endemol Shine Africa for M-Net Africa, and will run for 11 weeks (78 days) from 22 January until 9 April when it will end with a live, 2-hour televised finale.
Ebuka Obi-Uchendu - a contestant during the first season - will be the Big Brother Naija presenter.
What a lot of viewers and people in the TV biz don't realise, is that Endemol Shine Africa and M-Net are producing Big Brother Naija in South Africa - not in Nigeria.
This decision was taken because M-Net and Endemol Shine Africa have issues with security, as well as with electricity supply interruptions in Nigeria that's been considered big risks that can be lessened by rather filming the show in South Africa.
A third reason was that the M-Net production could find production facilities in South Africa more readily available, and also cheaper [besides better security and a more stable power supply].
Big Brother Naija's voice of Big Brother, or Biggie, will however still be Nigerian, as will the housemates.
As Nigerian TV audiences turn increasingly conservative and vocal, having forced MultiChoice Africa into censorship of several channels and programmes over the past year, the second season of Big Brother Naija with 12 housemates won't include the so-called "shower hour" that previously showed contestants naked.
The winner of Big Brother Naija's second season will win 25 million naira (approximately R1.1 million) and a car.
Besides the Big Brother Naija DStv channel 198 that will broadcast the show for 24 hours per day, live daily and weekly highlights programmes will be broadcast on DStv's Africa Magic Urban and Africa Magic World channels that's run by M-Net Africa.
