Entertainment of Monday, 19 May 2003

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Big Brother Africa's Eye Across the Continent

With just seven days to go until the May 25 launch of BIG BROTHER AFRICA, continental broadcaster M-Net announced the names of its local free-to-air partners Africa that are due to screen edited programs of the milestone reality TV show.

Eight of the twelve countries participating in the show have signed contact to screen the show with local-to-air partners. These are WBS (Uganda). ZNBC (Zambia), TV Malawi (Malawi), NBC (Namibia), BTV (Botswana), KTV (Kenya), Channel 10 (Tanzania) and Metro TV (Ghana).

Each channel would screen six 30 minute edited daily shows every week, running from Monday to Sunday. In addition, all the channels will screen the hour-long Sunday eviction/nomination show. And audiences tuning in to these channels will also see the two-hour launch show on May 25 and the two-hour finale on September 7.

Collins Khumalo: M-Net Director for Market Development in Africa facilitated the agreements and says that the enthusiasm show by all negotiating parties illustrates the pan-African spirits being fostered in and by the television industry.

"It is with profound happiness that we announce these partners that were forged dynamic African television companies. They bode well for future relations within the continental television environment. Further it allows BIG BROTHER AFRICA, thanks to a union of broadcasters, to leave a truly African stamp on international television history".

With the combination of the local channels, the combined reach of BIG BROTHER AFRICA has expanded substantially and M-Net's landmark program will now have audiences of well over 20 million people across the continent.

Created by M-Net, following the channels' screening of BIG BTROTHER 1&2. BIG BROTHER AFRICA sees 12housemates from 12 different countries spend 106 days in the house, each trying to scoop the grand prize of 100 000 USD. The show will be screened to 42 Africa countries via M-Net and DSTV's Channels 37 and 38.

Each local channel will release the screening times for its viewers during the week ahead.

Christopher Attoh, an Art student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, popularly of Showbiz fame on Metro TV, would be the Ghanaian presenter for the duration of BIG BROTHER AFRICA.