by Thinus Ferreira
A second iteration of the reality series Love Island done in Africa is coming to the continent with Love Island Nigeria that will be broadcast on MTV Base from October for 7 weeks with an all-black cast and that will mark the 4th version of the show filmed on the continent.
Love Island Nigeria follows months after Love Island South Africa, produced by Rapid Blue, was broadcast earlier in 2021 on M-Net (DStv 101), with the South African adaptation of the ITV Studios reality format that was highly criticised for its lack of a diverse cast, a myriad of ongoing errors and mistakes, and with the show that was plagued by unexplained bad production values.
Love Island Nigeria - the first version that will have an all-black cast of 20 individuals all looking to couple up and to stay coupled up in a Love Island villa to win the prize money or otherwise getting dumped - follows after the recent Love Island SA, and seasons of Love Island UK on ITV and Love Island France on Amazon Prime Video that were all filmed in South Africa's Western Cape province.
It's not yet clear whether Love Island Nigeria will also be filmed in South Africa and in the province - similar to a growing number of Nigerian music videos over the past five years - or where exactly the Nigerian version's "villa" will be located.
Love Island Nigeria will be broadcast from October on a mobile streaming app in Nigeria, including on Nigeria's Free TV digital terrestrial television (DTT), as well as on ViacomCBS Networks Africa's MTV Base channel that is available across sub-Saharan Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.
ViacomCBS Networks Africa didn't respond with answers about Love Island Nigeria's MTV Base simulcast made on Friday, seeking confirmation about where specifically in terms of geographic area the show will be carried on MTV Base, whether it includes the MTV Base footprint in Southern Africa, and whether there will be an improvement in Love Island production values.
Despite the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic and the rise in cases and deaths from the contagious Delta-variant across the African continent, the producers of Love Island Nigeria held a no-socially-distanced and largely mask-less media event on Thursday last week in Lagos.
The event to officially announce Love Island Nigeria, largely ignored Covid-19 safety protocols and was attended by Nigerian journalists, representatives of the United Kingdom's department of international trade, a British multinational TV production and distribution company, as well as Digital Play Africa that is owned by Toyin Subair as executive chairman who is also an executive producer on the show.
Toyin Subeir said that Love Island Nigeria "will air in Nigeria, and would also air, the same way, in different parts of the world".
"Because of how strong the product value is, and because it's going to be the first of its kind as an all-black Love Island in the whole world, it is also going to be available digitally and on Free to air TVs across the world. It shows that we are about to exhibit everything including our production, relationships, and lifestyle to the rest of the world. That is what we plan to do with Love Island."
"Love Island Nigeria, the first format to have an all-black cast, will give 20 singles an opportunity to come together and share the true essence of love, romance, friendship and relationships with all the twists and intrigues in 7 exhilarating weeks in the Love Island villa".
Odiri Iwuji of the United Kingdom-based Chudor House Productions is also an executive producer on Love Island Nigeria, while Neil Oyenekan is the series producer.
Huub Van Ballegooy, head of global content and productions at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, said "As we have already seen in different parts of the world, Love Island works equally well across linear, digital and catch-up platforms".