Paheja Siririka
WINDHOEK- After several months of teasing, organisers of the Big Brother Africa reality television show have announced that the 2019 edition will start airing this June.
Last month, MultiChoice Nigeria treated fans to an exclusive reunion show and special pop-up channel on DStv and GOtv. Tunde Aribido, Dstv’s PR Manager, responding to questions from Entertainment Now! on Wednesday said as the new season draws near, fans and viewers can get ready for the excitement and entertainment this season will bring, as they enjoy three months of the battle for the ultimate prize.
How will Big Brother Naija Season 4 be different? “For one, the audition centres increased. The BBNaija 2019 auditions were held in eight locations across Nigeria, which is more than the six from 2018 and five more from 2017. It further expanded to include Calabar and Benin from the previous Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri, Enugu, and Ibadan,” said Aribido.
Another element which sets this season apart from others is that for the first time, there was an online audition. Organisers of the show gave Nigerians one more chance to be a part of the biggest reality TV show on the continent by introducing an additional online process, which was a way of reaching out to their subscribers and giving them a voice.
“Ten contestants were selected from the online auditions and the voting portal was opened to DStv and GOtv subscribers to vote daily for their preferred contestant. The process lasted from 21st to 31st March 2019,” explained Aribido.
Lastly, it will be produced in Nigeria. “The reality TV show hosting is returning to Nigeria after 13 years since it was last filmed in Nigeria,” said the enthusiastic Aribido.
The CEO of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, is excited about the show being in Nigeria, “bringing the project back to Nigeria is a big deal for us. People asked us in the past why we didn’t do it in Nigeria,” said Ugbe. He also explained why the show has not been shot in Nigeria. “It’s because we had a customised studio for the reality show in South Africa. Now, we have one in Nigeria, which gives us the opportunity to do more here,” clarified Ugbe.
Aribido could not reveal more information about this year’s Big Brother Naija show, as it is bound to be an enormous surprise. “While we do not know the specifics of the upcoming edition because MultiChoice is brilliant at keeping their plans under wraps, viewers can be sure that this season will be bigger, better, and more exciting,” he established.