The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media
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Big Brother Africa is the reality TV show whose romance, controversies and backstabbing have made it the most popular continental show in the last decade.
Here, ordinary Pulsers have unearthed talents and hit fame, some becoming millionaires and others landing major deals thanks to the exposure, while others have gotten themselves spouses out of the show.
It has been a continental unifier that is not only celebrated by the young but also the old thanks to its many unpredictable twists with 24-7 action no one would like to miss.
It therefore would be a major heartbreak to the millions who follow the show if news doing the rounds is confirmed: we might not have Big Brother Africa this year!
Early this week, rumours emerged that the M-Net run show might not take place this year.
According to sources, the show has been cancelled due to lack of sponsorship.
Even though there has not been an official release from the Big Brother organisers to confirm why the show won’t take place, word has it that the traditional sponsors, among them Coca-Cola, have not showed interest in continuing to sponsor the show.
Usually, every year at this time, Multichoice is recruiting the next bunch of participants from the over 14 participating countries among them Kenya, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, but that has not been the case, further fuelling the speculation that Big Brother will be a no-show.
“M-Net has announced that while regional Big Brother shows are being produced, including Big Brother Angola and Big Brother Mzansi, the continental version of the show is currently on hold. Big Brother continues to captivate audiences in each market in which it is produced, and the move to regionalise the show allows producers to re-evaluate the direction of the show,” official communication mailed to Pulse from Multichoice Kenya said.
“M-Net wish to thank Big Brother Africa fans for their continuous support and assure them that in the future further announcements will be made,” the release added.
On Monday, the manager of Multichoice Ghana, Anne Sackey, was quoted as having confirmed Multichoice Ghana had received notice from M-Net that the show will not take place this year due to financial issues.
Endemol, the producers of the show, did not comment when Pulse tried to get them to clarify the matter.
Big Brother is not the only reality TV show being hit by financial constraints. A year ago, East Africa’s premier music reality TV show, Tusker Project Fame, folded after the sponsors, Tusker, withdrew sponsorship.
