Primedia Studios brings Got Talent back to SABC South Africa

The new series, which is set to return to South African TV screens in mid-2024, will be produced in partnership with presenter, radio personality, producer, businesswoman and author Anele Mdoda’s production company, Rose and Oaks Media. The deal was brokered between Primedia Group CEO Jonathan Procter and Anahita Kheder, EVP formats and licensing, EMEA at Fremantle.

Got Talent, owned by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, is said to be the world’s most successful talent show format franchise. The reality competition format, in which contestants showcase their unique talents in front of a panel of judges and live audience, has aired in 194 countries since launching on NBC in 2006 and spawned local versions in 69 territories. South Africa’s Got Talent became part of the franchise in 2009, where it was broadcast on SABC 2 for two seasons before moving to e.tv for a further six series. It has been off air in the country since 2017.

Primedia Studios’ new iteration of South Africa’s Got Talent will be supported by the Primedia group’s full spectrum of broadcast, retail and outdoor assets. A part of the crew will be drawn from Primedia’s talent incubation hub, which supplies the Group’s productions with local, remunerated, primarily black interns and trainees.

In other format news, SABC has also picked up second seasons of Deal or No Deal South Africa and The Masked Singer South Africa from Primedia Studios, the former in partnership with Homebrew Films and the latter with Mdoda’s Rose and Oaks Media.

The first seasons of both formats debuted this year on SABC, significantly increasing the broadcaster’s viewership in their primetime slots. Indeed, The Masked Singer South Africa, hosted by popular comedian and TV personality Mpho Popps, is currently SABC 3’s most-watched show of 2023.

Primedia Studios was established in 2022 by Primedia Group CEO Jonathan Procter, and former M-Net Channels Director, film and TV-industry veteran and global format expert Jan Du Plessis was appointed the division’s president in April 2023.

Du Plessis, who is responsible for overseeing Primedia Studios’ strategy around the licencing, creation, development, localisation and distribution of entertainment content, said:

‘Our mission at Primedia Studios is to be a world-class audiovisual content hub, infused with the spirit of South Africa and driven by our exceptional home-grown talent. In less than a year, we’ve come further and achieved more than we ever dared hope — not least winning three major television format commissions from our country’s largest broadcaster. All three shows have the power to bring joy and improve lives while showcasing African talent and culture with passion and authenticity. It’s what we are born to do’.

South Africa’s Mzansi Youth Choir shot to fame in the latest season of America’s Got Talent, while South African amputee dancer Musa Motha’s inspirational routine on Britain’s Got Talent 2023 became a YouTube sensation

Du Plessis added: ‘South Africa’s Got Talent will allow more exceptional local entertainers to tap into this massive global phenomenon without having to travel abroad’.

‘The Got Talent format continues to bring excellent entertainment whilst showcasing breath-taking talent to audiences worldwide. Through contestants showing off their unique skills and stories, Got Talent has become an unstoppable global phenomenon and continues to earn the title of TV’s most-loved talent show format. We are proud to be working with Primedia Studios and SABC to bring this much-anticipated program back to South Africa after six years off air’, Said Anahita Kheder, EVP formats and licensing, EMEA at Fremantle.

 

LC