by Thinus Ferreira
NBCUniversal and MultiChoice are expanding their collaboration further with more African versions of The Real Housewives formats and will add The Real Housewives of Pretoria and one for Kenya which will be called The Real Housewives of Nairobi.
Filming has now started on The Real Housewives of Pretoria, produced by Provoco, making the new 14-episode reality series the 4th South African version.
This version will be done in Afrikaans for M-Net's Afrikaans kykNET (DStv 144) channel under the title of Die Real Housewives van Pretoria (RHOP) and will broadcast on the channel from 13 October 2022 and will also be available on Showmax.
kykNET didn't respond to a media query requiring about the Afrikaans title and when it would be shown.
M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel, MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax and NBCUniversal Formats have so far collaborated on The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, The Real Housewives of Durban and The Real Housewives of Cape Town of which the first season just concluded.
Next month filming will start on The Real Housewives of Nairobi done by the Young Rich Television production company, with DStv subscribers in East Africa getting their first version set in Kenya, following The Real Housewives of Lagos which made its debut on Showmax in Nigeria earlier this year.
"We are so proud to build on the continued success of The Real Housewives franchises across Africa," says Ana Langenberg, senior vice president for format sales and productions at NBCUniversal Formats.
"The way each version faithfully embodies the spirit of the city, people and rich cultures it showcases, connects with audiences across the region and the diaspora."
Nomsa Philiso, MultiChoice's head of programming, says "As a platform that provides content on both linear and over-the-top (OTT), The Real Housewives franchise is proving to be very popular with our diverse audiences".
'This has allowed us to continuously expand and increase to different territories as we operate across Africa. Our latest offering, The Real Housewives of Cape Town, broadcasting on Mzansi Magic, has exceeded our expectations in viewership numbers, and we are excited to bring more adaptations."
"This may be a global franchise, but our spin is authentically African. As a broadcaster, keeping up with our viewers' tastes and preferences is important, and The Real Housewives franchise meets our audience's needs."
