Primedia revives SA's Got Talent for 9th season on SABC in 2024.

by Thinus Ferreira

After seven years off the air, SA's Got Talent is getting revived and is jumping back to the SABC in 2024.

As TVwithThinus reported last month Primedia now confirms that SA's Got Talent is getting a TV berth back on the South African public broadcaster where it ran for two seasons on SABC2 since 2009 before the Rapid Blue-produced show jumped to e.tv for another six seasons, ending in 2017.

The revived 9th season of SA's Got Talent will air on a SABC channel and will now be produced by Anele Mdoda's Rose and Oaks Media production company.

In late September Primedia, at its second PrimeX event held at Montecasino in Johannesburg, announced that it is bringing several retired international formats back to South African television, like SA's Got Talent, as well as Strictly Come Dancing SA which was on SABC3 and moved to M-Net as Dancing with the Stars SA.

Primedia is also reviving The Voice SA which was also on M-Net for a free-to-air audience. 

Primedia also said it plans to take M-Net's Idols which has run out of ratings steam on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) currently in its 19th and final season there, to the SABC and a free-to-air audience.

The Masked Singer SA on SABC3, also produced by Rose and Oaks Media, has been renewed for a second and a third season, while the revived Deal or No Deal SA currently on SABC1 produced by Homebrew Films is also getting a second season.

It's not clear whether the new season of SA's Got Talent will be on SABC1 or SABC2 although it will very likely return to SABC2 as its former channel home, with the season that will have 14 episodes.

"In less than a year we've come further and achieved more than we ever dared hope - not least winning three major television format commissions from our country's largest broadcaster," says Jan du Plessis, Primedia Studios president, in a statement.

"All three shows have the power to bring joy and improve lives while showcasing African talent and culture with passion and authenticity".

ALSO READ: Idols, The Voice SA, SA's Got Talent and Strictly revived for SA's free-to-air viewers, Masked Singer SA renewed for 2 more seasons.

Idols, The Voice SA, SA's Got Talent and Strictly revived for SA's free-to-air viewers, Masked Singer SA renewed for 2 more seasons.

by Thinus Ferreira

Strictly Come Dancing SA and SA's Got Talent are being revived for new free-to-air audiences, with The Masked Singer SA renewed for a further two seasons, Deal or No Deal SA getting a second season, while both The Voice SA and the long-running Idols that ran out of steam on pay-TV is getting free-to-air oxygen.

Like it did last September for the first time, Primedia on Monday held another of its so-called "PrimeX" events where it touted some format reality shows that its expanding Primedia Studios is planning to bring to South African television.

As part of its growing entertainment content slate of reality competition and shiny floor shows, Primedia Studios has renewed The Masked Singer SA on SABC3 for another two seasons, renewed Deal or No Deal SA for a second season, is reviving SA's Got Talent that was on e.tv, is reviving The Voice SA that was on M-Net for a free-to-air audience, and is also taking over Idols that was cancelled as a pay-TV show and bringing it to free-to-air viewers.

Similar to The Masked Singer SA and the revived Deal or No Deal SA that Primedia brought to SABC1 and SABC3 over the past year and announced in September last year, Primedia now plans to bring back and revilatise Strictly Come Dancing SA, SA's Got Talent, The Voice SA and also Idols that stalled on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) and is in its final season on pay-TV.

Primedia only told some media about its PrimeX event held at Montecasino in Johannesburg with Primedia CEO Jonathan Procter and issued no press release on Monday after the event. 

According to insiders, while several shows were touted on stage, some of the contracts are not yet in place.

As part of the second PrimeX presentation, Anele Mdoda who produced The Masked Singer SA under her Rose and Oaks Media production banner, also did an interview on-stage with comedian Trevor Noah, while Deal or No Deal SA host Katlego Maboe also made an on-stage appearance.

Production company Rapid Blue did eight seasons of Strictly Come Dancing that aired on SABC2 and later SABC3 until 2015. In 2018 the format was revived and taken over by M-Net with Rapid Blue producing a single season for M-Net but rebranding it under the show's American moniker of Dancing with the Stars SA.

Now the show will return to free-to-air - very likely SABC3 - and again as Strictly Come Dancing as the British version is also known as.

After 18 seasons on M-Net, then on M-Net and Mzansi Magic jointly and then on Mzansi Magic, Idols will also move from pay-TV where the show got cancelled, to free-to-air - very likely SABC1 in order to give it the biggest potential new talent pool and TV audience. 

With massively declining audience ratings, on pay-TV, Idols that has run out of viewership steam, has barely reached 403 818 DStv subscribers who tuned in during August. 

In earlier seasons before a dramatic viewership decline set in that co-incided with judge Somizi Mhlongo who was engulfed in scandals, Idols brought close to and over a million viewers on Sunday evenings to DStv.

SA's Got Talent, also produced by Rapid Blue, saw eight very successful seasons  between 2009 and 2017 - the first two of which were on SABC2 after moving to e.tv from the third season onwards. It's likely that SA's Got Talent could now re-emerge on SABC2.

The Voice SA will also jump to cater to a new free-to-air audience after M-Net had the reality talent competition for three seasons between 2016 and 2019 and where Anele Mdoda served as host for the third and last season.

M-Net goes Dancing with the Stars SA for 2018 as it takes over the floor format show Strictly Come Dancing SA from SABC3.

M-Net is going dancing and is getting ready to cha-cha Dancing with the Stars SA to television.

M-Net has picked up and taken over the floor reality format show Strictly Come Dancing SA that was on SABC3 and will be relaunching it in early 2018 under the American title, Dancing with the Stars SA.

DStv Media Sales is now looking for advertisers and sponsors to come aboard Dancing with the Stars SA, set for a 2018 debut on the pay-TV broadcaster, as the latest longtime show that has been associated with the public broadcaster that is moving over to pay-television in South Africa.

The 8th season of Strictly Come Dancing SA concluded in 2015 with SABC3 that didn't pick up further seasons the past two years.

In response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus after spotting a public advert looking for sponsors for the show, M-Net says the pay-TV broadcaster "is currently in the process of contracting a number of exciting new local productions for 2018".

"We are very excited to confirm that the hit BBC Worldwide format Dancing with the Stars is indeed one of the series that we will be producing in the new year."

"For now, we are unable to provide any more information around this global format, but we will be making further announcements over the course of the next few weeks."

M-Net is deliberately rebranding Strictly – the format's British title – and will relaunch the show under the American moniker in order to break the viewer brand name association with SABC3.

While further seasons of the British version, Strictly Come Dancing UK, has been moved and since mid-October will now be unspooling on BBC Worldwide Africa’s BBC Brit (DStv 120) in South Africa and across the continent, the premise of programme of the locally-produced format show will remain exactly the same.

Sequined South African celebrities will be dancing with experienced partners as an in-studio audience looks on, as the well-heeled all vy weekly for the glittering mirror ball trophy in spectacled dance drama that's broadcast live, while viewers at home get to vote.

It's not clear whether Rapid Blue productions as the local format rights holder that was responsible for multiple seasons of Strictly Come Dancing SA on SABC3 will be producing Dancing for M-Net, but the pay-TV broadcaster wants the show to up the production values, wow-factor and the dance drama.

It will for instance be the first time that South African viewers will be able to see the dancing celebrities and their ballroom outfits in Strictly, now Dancing, in high definition (HD) for instance – something that's not possible on the SABC’s still analogue-run TV channels.  

As far as the on-screen talent and contestants are concerned, M-Net will also ditch the SABC personalities and presenters that’s been a mainstain of the show on SABC3.

M-Net will repopulate the glitter floor franchise with new presenters and a menagerie of M-Net stars who are associated with the range of M-Net packaged TV channels across MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

EXCLUSIVE. The 10 South African celebrities taking part in the 8th season of Strictly Come Dancing South Africa on SABC3 are ...

Bridget Masinga, Nkuli Tshirumbula, Slikour, Stanton Fredericks, Gary Botha, Jason Goliath, Leigh-Anne Williams, Karlien van Jaarsveld, Pearl Modiadie and Sureshnie Rider will put their dancing shoes on this Friday when the 8^th season of Strictly Come Dancing SA starts at 19:30 on SABC3.

Zandile Nkonyeni, SABC TV head publicist didn't respond to a media enquiry about the reality dance format show starting in just four days and the broadcaster failed to released any information to the press a week ahead of time, but I can reveal, according to several SABC sources, that this season will include celebrity contestants ranging from a soccer star and a comedian to TV presenters, a musician and a soap star.

Contrary to TV biz rumours, socialiste Pearl Thusi will definitely not be a part of this season of Strictly Come Dancing SA which is once again produced by production company Rapid Blue, although SABC1's Zaziwa presenter and 5FM DJ Pearl Modiadie will be dancing.

The successful and dynamic presenting duo of Katlego Maboe and Roxy Burger will both be back for the show which is ditching the Saturday elimination episode from this season and condensing the format to Friday nights for both the live dance performances and the evictions.

Kicking off the new season on Friday night on SABC3, and starting off with waltzing and cha cha-ing across the dance floor will be former Bafana Bafana and national under-23 midfield soccer player Stanton "Stiga" Fredericks, Expresso presenter Leigh-Anne Williams, comedian Jason Goliath, SABC2 Muvhango soap star Nkuli Tshirumbula and TV presenter Bridget Masinga.

The former Springbok rugby player and Bulls hooker Gary Botha is also dancing and according to sources who've seen him "putting in 120%".

Also forming a part of the new group are singers Slikour and Karlien van Jaarsveld. 

Although she's already one of the busiest people working in South Africa’s electronic entertainment industry, 5FM DJ Sureshnie Rider, has somehow rejigged her incredibly full diary to fit in hours of dancing rehearsals and the Friday dance floor spectaculars.

According to sources who've seen it, Friday's debut episode of the 8^th season of Strictly Come Dancing on SABC3 will also include a spectacular group dance, choreographed by Tebogo Kgobokoe.

South Africa's biggest reality TV showdown: Battle of the exes start as an avalanche of reality shows fight for viewer attention at the same time.

As The X Factor South Africa on SABC1 gets ready to take on M-Net's Idols X from tonight, an unprecedented avalanche of local format reality television programming is set to be unleased on South African viewers who are going to find it extremely difficult to watch and keep track of it all with multiple shows, episodes, and contestants desperately vying for viewer attention.

Never in the history of South African television has so many hit local reality format TV show aired concurrently, placing a huge demand on the available TV time, concentration and attention viewers will be able to devote to trying to watch and follow it all.

The first season of The X Factor SA starts on SABC1 this evening at 18:00, as Strictly Come Dancing South Africa's 7th season has episodes on Fridays at 20:00 and elimination episodes on Saturdays at 19:00 on SABC3.

Meanwhile the 5th season of SA's Got Talent starts this evening as well on e.tv at 18:05, with the 10th season of Idols on M-Net and DStv's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) on Sundays at 17:30. As if it's not enough, there's the third season of MasterChef South Africa on M-Net on Thursday at 19:30, with the third season of Ultimate Braai Master starting on e.tv this Thursday at 20:30.

Big Brother Africa Hotspots would also have started on AfricaMagic Showcase (DStv 150) and two dedicated DStv channels this Sunday at 19:00 if it wasn't that a devastating fire destroyed the Endemol South Africa camera house at Sasani Studios on Tuesday.

Spread out, most of the popular localised format reality shows are ratings juggernauts, delivering big audiences, buzz and reams of press attention about the nouveau contestants of a specific season when there's little other local reality shows to compete.

South African commissioning editors, channel heads and TV executives who plan their annual schedules mostly independently, however didn't bargain on their top tentpole productions all being up against each other at the same time of the year - let alone during the same primetime timeslots over especially weekends.

Now as even DStv PVR decoders will have a hard time keeping up with recording it all - in several instances hours of shows running on different TV channels at the same time - viewers and South African TV critics will battle to do their homework and watch it all.

TV with Thinus is aware of several fretting TV executives who were privately shocked when TV channels started to reveal their big reality shows and startling starting dates - and are now keeping a close watch on viewership numbers, press attention and social media to see which shows will not only break through and connect with viewers, but maintain momentum and viewer engagement.


Shows all require a high demand of viewer love
"In another year any of these shows on SABC1, e.tv, M-Net and SABC3 would almost guarantee a big chunk of excited viewers, advertising money and a lot of attention," said a longtime South African producer speaking on condition of anonymity so as to not impact on existing production relationships with several broadcasters.

"The irony is that all of the shows are now up against each other, dividing the potential audience share. They're fighting for eyeballs and the same viewers who will have a difficult time to keep up with the high demand and viewer love these shows require".

"There's different judges, different formats and different contestants you have to get to know before you choose your favourites and which ones you want to support. And now it's all at the same time for the next couple of months. We might see viewer fatigue because of overload," cautioned the producer.


Who's who in the reality zoo
On MasterChef South Africa on M-Net the top 12 contestants have now been revealed with the heightened kitchen drama and elimination now in full gear with new judge Reuben Riffel who joined the show - and a celebrity edition awaits in January 2015.

Ultimate Braai Master on e.tv also has a new judge - chef Petrus Madutlela,with 13 braai teams throwing a "vleisie" and whatever else they're challenged with, on the coals.

Meanwhile The X Factor South Africa on SABC1 is bound to make a splash with viewers - at least intially. Viewers will be tuning in to see the first local version and how it looks after having followed the British and American versions.

It remains to be seen whether judges Arno Carstens, Zonke, Oskido and presenter Andile Ncube will be able to connect with viewers and deliver big ratings.

Strictly Come Dancing SA on SABC3 is set to ramp up the drama in the ongoing two episodes per week as the celebrity contestants dwindle, while the new season of SA's Got Talent on e.tv also starts with the first few episodes covering the nationwide auditions with new judges in the form of DJ Fresh and Lalla Hirayama who join the returning Shado Twala.

The 10th season of Idols on M-Net adopted the "X" as in Idols X - presumably due to The X Factor SA on SABC1. The show also underwent a big tweak this season with the contestants now being eliminated during the Sunday live spectacular performances instead of separate Tuesday episodes to up the ante for viewer attention.


Eating into Generations' lead?
The big loser could end up being none other than SABC1 and Generations - South Africa's most watched TV show and soap. "With so much to watch and courting viewers, some of the Generations viewers might be lured away and never return when the soap runs out of episodes," quips a TV biz insider.

The Generations actors went on strike demanding promised three year contracts and better pay rates and were promptly fired by the SABC.

"When viewers end the habit of watching what they used to tune in from October when there's no further Generations to show and sample some of the new exciting shows, some of them might never return".