SAN FRANCISCO, January 26, (THEWILL) – MultiChoice Nigeria has explained that its decision to film the ongoing Big Brother Naija reality television show in South Africa was because of its desire to deliver the same high quality production that subscribers are used to viewing on its platforms.
The video entertainment provider explained, in a statement, that “It is with this commitment in mind that a decision was taken to stage the show in the fully-equipped Big Brother House located in South Africa.
“This Big Brother property has been previously used to stage other successful and seamlessly-delivered Big Brother productions, including Big Brother Xtremo (for Angola and Mozambique) as well as all past Big Brother Africa series”.
The Nigerian government on Tuesday disclosed that it is investigating why the reality TV series, which was re-launched on Sunday as Big Brother Naija, is being shot in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, asked the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to determine whether MultiChoice breached the Nigerian Broadcasting Code by shooting the show in South Africa, as well as the likelihood of deceit, since the viewing public was never told that the event would be staged outside Nigeria.
“As a country of laws, only the outcome of the investigation will determine our next line of action,” read part of a statement signed by the minister’s spokesperson, Segun Adeyemi.
But the company explained that MultiChoice and its customers are currently experiencing tough economic times, which have compelled the MultiChoice, as a business, to review its operations so it can continue to deliver the best entertainment value without compromising on quality.
“Staging the show in a Big Brother facility that already exists – and has been specially built for such purposes is not only cost-effective but has also allowed MultiChoice Nigeria to maintain the same excellent production values as with previous Big Brother editions whilst meeting tight timelines,” it said.
MultiChoice promised that the ongoing Big Brother Nigeria is a proudly Nigerian show featuring Nigerians as housemates, in the production staff, as Biggie’s voice, all led by a Nigerian series director.
It further stated that the musical performances on the show, which runs for 11 weeks, also include some of Nigeria’s biggest and hottest stars.
“MultiChoice is a proud supporter and investor of local creative industries and currently has ongoing entertainment productions across the continent, including the much-loved Tinsel and upcoming AMVCAs which are filmed and produced in Nigeria and aired in several countries across Africa,” the
statement read.
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