Tag Archives: Banijay

Survivor South Africa returns for S9

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Survivor South Africa

South African reality competition show Survivor South Africa, based on the international Survivor format owned by France-based Banijay, is returning to broadcaster M-Net for a ninth season.

The new season is titled Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts and will see 20 players return from past seasons of the show.

Previous seasons featured group of strangers marooned in an isolated location and left to find food, water, fire and shelter.

The new show’s players are a mix of strategists, schemers, risk takers and record breakers who do anything to avoid having their torches snuffed out for a second time.

Creative producer Leroux Botha said: “This isn’t an ‘All Stars’ season – in fact, it’s a totally unique concept. All of the castaways returning to the game this season have demons to lay to rest, with the added challenge of everyone knowing exactly how everyone else played their game, before.”

Shireez Latief, MultiChoice-owned M-Net’s senior manager of marketing and PR, highlighted the network’s plan to air four episodes of the show per week.

“Having four hours a week to explore the full intricacy of the game is going to lay bare every machination. It’s also a great way for newcomers to the magic of Survivor South Africa to get to know these returning castaways and appreciate why they are such masters of the game,” she added.

Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts debuts on M-Net on July 18.

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Banijay takes format rights to Still Got It!

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Banijay has acquired the exclusive format rights to Still Got It!, an original factual entertainment series from South Africa-based creative studio Rebelintown.

Still Got It!

Created by Jimmy Muteba, the format, which is known in South Africa as The Coolest OGs, sees people aged between 60 and 80 competing in a series of challenges with the help of the Gen Z crowd to see which of them has “still got it.” A cash prize is up for grabs for the person who impresses a panel of influential young judges.

The show debuted in June last year on free-to-air channel SABC and was licensed to SVoD platform Showmax in September.

Banijay is exclusively responsible for format sales outside of Africa. Rebelintown has retained the rights to distribute the format in Africa and will work in partnership with Banijay on a non-exclusive basis in North Africa.

“With a burgeoning creative industry in South Africa, it’s an exciting time to bring Rebelintown’s Still Got It! to the international market,” said Carlotta Rossi Spencer, head of format acquisitions at Banijay.

Jimmy Muteba, CEO of Rebelintown, added: “There is a growing movement which sees African creativity having its moment in the spotlight. This format cuts across generations and, with its universal nature, Still Got It! holds great potential to be adapted across the globe.”

Rebelintown’s other credits include Trace Music Star, a music talent search competition where the public can enter simply by recording their song on a phone call. The show was licensed to South Africa-based music channel Trace and later launched across 14 African countries over three seasons. The series, which features judges Wyclef Jean, Akon, Keri Hilson and Dawala, was also picked up in France.

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MasterChef SA’s new judges revealed

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Justine Drake, Zola Nene and Gregory Czarnecki front the new MasterChef SA

MultiChoice-owned African pay TV network M-Net has revealed the new judges for returning cooking competition reality series MasterChef South Africa, which set for a fourth season after five years off-air.

The new judges are chefs Zola Nene and Gregory Czarnecki and food editor Justine Drake. The trio will be the culinary masters whose palates and expertise will guide 20 contestants to the ultimate R1m (US$66,000) prize and the coveted title of MasterChef.

According to M-Net, the judges, with their varied experience and viewpoints, will inject freshness into the new season of MasterChef SA, with Czarnecki bringing the perspective of an international chef and Nene and Drake the local experts.

Yolisa Phahle, CEO of general entertainment and connected video for MultiChoice, said: “We’re very excited to have one of our most-loved shows – and toughest of reality competitions – returning to our screen after some time away. We have always had a rich crop of home chefs to choose from, but the pandemic has certainly created more, and this is the perfect time for MasterChef South Africa to make a comeback.”

Commenting on having two women on the MasterChef SA panel, Dave De Bie, format consultant at Banijay, the company that owns the format, said: “We are focused on improving the gender balance in MasterChef judges worldwide. Over the last couple of years, we have increased the number of female judges and this is something we are continuing to improve upon.

“Out of 37 active markets, 26 now have female judges. We are delighted that MasterChef SA joins the likes of Israel, Norway, and Brazil with two female experts on their panel.”

The 20-episode series is produced by Cape Town-based production company Homebrew while the MasterChef format and programmes are represented internationally by Banijay Rights.

MasterChef South Africa S4 premieres on February 28 on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 18.00 and the finale will air on March 31.

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Auditions held for Big Brother Mzansi S3

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Online auditions have begun for season three of South African reality series Big Brother Mzansi, following M-Net’s announcement it was renewing the show for another season.

South Africans who are articulate, interesting, reveal enthusiasm for the project, have a willingness to share their most private thoughts in an open forum and can stay 100 days in a camera-filled house can apply by uploading a two-minute video of themselves showing why they should be one of the contestants.

Big Brother Mzansi will run as a 24/7 channel on MultiChoice’s DStv, with daily highlight shows on M-Net’s Mzansi Magic (DStv 161).

Formerly known as Big Brother South Africa, the show aired its last season in 2015. It is one of 69 adaptations of the Banijay-owned format worldwide and 2021 marks 20 years since the first ever Big Brother South Africa.

Auditions are being held until November 6.

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SA’s Temptation Island to debut in August

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Temptation Island is hosted by Phat Joe (centre)

The South African version of Banijay format Temptation Island will premiere on August 26 on MultiChoice Group-owned SVoD service Showmax.

The format sees couples go through the ultimate relationship test as they find themselves at a crossroads where they must mutually decide if they are ready to commit to one another for the rest of their lives or go their separate ways.

The couples will live separately in a luxurious holiday destination alongsisde 20 single men and women who are looking for love.

The recently released teaser trailer from Showmax revealed four South African couples, namely Precious Khumalo and Grant Manuel, Justin Fritz and Estelle Langa, Musa Qubinkomo and Sifiso Ndlazi, and Nthabiseng Maphago and MJ Maponya.

Billed as the first international reality format that Showmax has licensed, the show is being hosted by South African TV and radio personality Phat Joe. Afrokaans Film & Television is producing.

Distributed by Banijay Rights, Temptation Island has been adapted in 25 countries so far. It originated on US network Fox back in 2001 and was later revived by USA Network in 2019.

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