'Big Brother' fever spreads

26 Sep 2007

Household name in satellite television on the continent and South African premier pay-TV channel, DSTv has continued the tradition of availing Africans with the opportunity to take part in the great reality show, Big Brother Africa. In its second season, the show has so far attracted close to 418,000 messages through the SMS system that allows the public to interact with the characters in the show by sending live SMSes.

MultiChoice Africa, the proponent of DSTv in the country said that the M-Net-based reality show has been consistent in its cutting-edge interactivity via television by giving its African viewers the opportunity to have their say on the programme.

According to the public relations assistant at MultiChoice Nigeria, Gloria Ngozi Adeshi, Africans across the continent have sent over 400,000 messages to Big Brother Africa 2's onscreen strap-line, thus allowing their thoughts, comments and opinions about the activities in the Big Brother house to be played out to audiences in 47 African countries.

The show, she said, is building a community of pan-African TV viewers, who communicate directly with each other on a daily basis, thanks to the wonders of SMS and a network of participating mobile operators.

She pointed out that the 98-day reality show is proving that technology could be applied on a continental scale to give African TV a fresh new dimension.

"Behind the 12 housemates, and the 28 cameras and 48 microphones, which have been set up throughout the Big Brother house, it's a technological triumph that keeps the Big Brother phenomenon rolling," Adeshi said.

She emphasised that the interactivity of Big Brother Africa 2 that viewers enjoy is part of MultiChoice Africa's unparalleled technology offering.

"In providing the dedicated DStv channel 37 for the express purpose of screening Big Brother Africa 2, MultiChoice Africa's ability to provide additional channels for special events translates directly into more value-added viewing," she asserted.

Adeshi noted that Channel 37 has a built-in data application which allows audiences the opportunity to access housemate profiles, key information and updated news for the show's duration.

"African viewers also have access to Personal Video Recorder [PVR] technology, allowing them to record, pause and rewind live television," she said, adding that DStv offers its viewers an electronic programme guide, which allows subscribers to set reminders, auto tune to their favourite programmes and view the upcoming week's programming on all channels at the touch of a button.

Adeshi said that a major investment by MultiChoice Africa over the past 15 years was to ensure that its satellite footprint extends across sub-Saharan Africa and this investment is now delivering tangible results.

"Allowing for over 50 of the highest quality audio and video channels in all 47 countries that have access to DStv," she said, stressing that by reaching audiences across four different time-zones, the second season of M-Net's Big Brother Africa, is replicating the success of the first series.

It is still to be seen how Multichoice Africa will respond to the new entrants in the satellite pay-tv market besides acquiring the PSL football rights in South Africa.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) recently announced the licensing of four new pay-tv channels out of the eighteen that applied, and the South African Broadcasting Corporation is also going ahead with its new SABC International news and current affairs channel.

But all must be reminded that viewers don't follow television - they follow programmes. Africa's television viewers are yearning for high quality multicultural television programmes from Africa and overseas destinations.

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