By ANTHONY AWUNOR
Few years ago, most Nigerians perceived the Television Reality Show as a pleasant novelty and received it with great enthusiasm. Today, in spite of a relative increase in the number of reality shows beamed from local TV and foreign pay channels and the obvious variety they offer to viewers, the enthusiasm seems to have fizzled out. A lot more TV addicts now consider these shows to be very boring, unreal and out of vogue.
Those who spoke to Saturday Mirror recently confessed that they pay little or no attention to the myriad TV reality programmes running in many television stations today. They gave reasons which range from the economic, moral, social and cultural, amongst others.
For instance, Anthony Oke says that although he likes the shows, time does not permit him to follow up on subsequent episodes: “I'd like to watch the programmes but time does not permit me at all. I wake up in the morning and zoom to my office only to come back late. On weekends, it is either I am in the church or in a meeting”.
Andrew Owodi attributes his inability to watch TV reality shows in Nigeria to frequent
power failures. “You see my problem with that show is that any time they want to start it, Power Holding Company of Nigeria PHCN, the authority vested with the provision of electricity in the country will just switch off power. Sometimes it even looks as if it is planned. I like the show but it is the unavailability of electricity that stalls my interest.
Again, once you miss one episode, you may not be able to understand the next one”, he says.
Similarly, Rose Adeoye observes that TV reality shows are no longer popular
in Nigeria. According to her what they are doing now is just make-believe.” I don't see any reality in them”, she said.
Besides, many Nigerians do not even know what reality shows are all about,
especially the poor ands less privileged. Some of them have no access to electricity, let alone afford a television set. Ambrose Ume, a trader who lives at Abule-Egba, a surburb of Lagos, admits that he does not know what a TV reality show means. When asked whether he has heard of Big Brother Nigeria or Golden Ultimate Show, he shakes his head and says “You know I am an ordinary trader. All these things you are talking is like lirema to me. I don't know anything. Though I use to hear Gulden Ultimate Show but I have never watched it once”.
A clergyman, Ugochukwu Ogodi of Pilgrims Pentecostal Assembly, Agege attributes the loss of interest on TV reality shows by Nigerians to issues relating to morality. “I think why most Nigerians don't watch those reality shows is that some of their activities are not morally inclined. You can imagine the way they dress, talk and behave. Don't forget that people lean what they see. Again it is expected that after watching a programme, you come back to your senses with one good lesson. In all their TV shows I have seen, all these things are not there”, the Pastor said.
But John Ode has a different opinion. According to him, Nigerians are not economically stable enough to waste valuable time on such TV shows, which appear to be designed for those who are comfortable to relax. “Imagine a young man who has no job and has not taking a meal for a full day; do you think such man will stay glued to such programmes? I don't think so”, he says.
As new reality TV shows hit the airwaves, experts warn that they are most likely to favour television producers because there is less creative work needed to produce such shows regularly. Even though many shows are adaptations, most have their own local spin.
In Nigeria today, there are varieties of reality shows, some of which include Big Brother Nigeria, House 4, Gulder Ultimate Search, Next Movie Star, Nokia First Chance, Maltina dance hall, Ambo Amstel Malta box office, Angel's Paradise, Idols West Africa, amongst others.
This cold interest developed over the last couple of months was further heightened by the death of Anthony Mudiaga, one of the contestants who came out with flying colours after the screening of over 25,000 entries for the Gulder Ultimate Search 4 series.
Millions of viewers were already set to embrace its live transmissions when the tragic news of the death filtered into the air. Just as they prepared to mourn the sad loss, the hearts of the organizers, not unaware of the negative impact on their image, bled profusely.
Still in Nigeria, another offshoot, Big Brother Nigeria, produced by a Nigerian production team and featuring an all-Nigerian cast, shook the nation on its first outing. Much like an original Nigerian product, it celebrated 12 Nigerian participants sharing a single home while 68 microphones and 27 cameras revealed their every action for the home audience.
The winner was declared in part by public voting and the winner went home with $100,000:00 (One hundred Thousand dollars). The Big Brother craze has spawned 100 Big Brother Series around the globe.
The Next Movie Star TV reality show, created and owned by Digital Interactive Media, has also established itself as one of the most sought-after in the country. It was seen by watchers as one of the most exciting with the program throughout the show on TV.
It took watchers in great numbers in Nigeria in 2005 and 2006 showing on 23 TV stations across Nigeria and on Africa Magic (an MNET channel).
The show also made impact by attracting sponsors, partners and advertisers like HP2, P2 Nutricima, Guinness, Dansa Fruit juice and many other corporate organizers. The show however, after post evaluation analysis indicated that the major sponsor derived over 400% value from their investment. Apart from the reality version of the show, the winners and all other house mates have shot a number of movies and soaps for example, Calabar girl, the waiter, D8 Dancehood and others that was promised to them and they are billed to hit the airwaves soon.
http://www.nationalmirrornews.com/mi...=10&story=9210
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