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Organisers of the reality TV show, Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) season 7 have disclosed spending a whopping sum of over N4.7 billion on the production of the show.
John Ugbe, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, disclosed this during the prize presentation to the winner of the “Level Up” edition, Josephine Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, on Tuesday in Lagos.
Phyna emerged the winner of the show as she walked away with N100 million grand prize.
The grand prize comprises N50 million, a new SUV from Innoson Motors, a Dubai trip for two, a year supply of Pepsi, new techno phone-Camon 19, supply of Unik soap and supply of home appliances from Nexus among other mouth-watering items.
Ugbe also said that over one billion votes were cast in the course of the show. He commended the housemates for giving premium entertainment during the show as he also appreciated the fans and the media for their continued support.
“N4.7 billion was invested into the show, that is the cost of production of the season 7 show, we also had over one billion votes throughout the show.
“Big Brother Naija show is more than just entertainment, it also reflects social and value creation, the show has empowered over 1,200 people, cutting across fashion designers, capenters, interior decorators, photographers and more. Today, this show contributes significantly to the Nigerian economy,” he said.
Earlier, Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content, West Africa Channels, Multichoice Nigeria, said that it was fulfilling investing over N4.7 billion in the production of the show.
Tejumola said that the show had created a platform for display of viable talents, job creation and individual Nigerians to fulfill their dreams and aspirations of attaining fame.
She said having recorded over one billion total votes for the Level Up season, it attested to the fact that the fans of the show were fully engaged with premium content.
“We are excited to see that the show continues to set great record each season. We appreciate our sponsors, Pocket by Piggyvest, Flutterwave and Quidax for making magic with us this season.
“Also to our other sponsors, Pepsi, Aquafina, Johny Walker, Origin, Lush hair, Supa Komando, Munch it, Minimie noodles, Hypo, Unik soap, Techno, Close up, Sunlight dish wash, Lipton tea, Oraimo, Arla Dano milk, Airtel Nigeria, Nexus appliances, Innosons vehicles and travelbeta.com.
“We are extremely proud to have created a platform that contributes to entertaining the world, showcasing talents of housemates, the different expressions of our culture and contributing to the growth of the creative industry in Nigeria. Our commitment to providing premium entertainment is unequalled,” she said.
Tejumola appreciated the winner of the show, Phyna and other housemates, saying they presented premium entertainment in the course of the show
“We started this journey of over 40,000 applications during the auditioning process, we are proud to have once again delivered another amazing show.
“Congratulations Phyna for emerging the winner, I want the other housemates to know that they are equally winners since the beginning of the show.
“Every season of the Big Brother Naija show brings a well thought out creative game play, unique personalities, dramas, intrigues, fun and excitement.
“The engagement generated this season has been phenomenal, from fan base to social media conversations and media coverage,” she said.
Phyna, the winner of the show, was presented with a cheque of N50 million and her new SUV. Phyna, who was referred to as the “content queen”, was elated, and screamed, beckoning on her fellow ex-housemates to take pictures with her.
She attributed her success to God as she appreciated her fans, family and organisers of the show. I appreciate God and Biggie for the privilege to participate in the show, this is after four years of attempts to be part of the show, I finally made it in the fifth attempt.
“Thanks to my fellow housemates and sponsors of this show, I had an amazing experience, I appreciate everyone who voted for me. It feels good to be the winner, I plan to achieve a lot going forward and I pray God helps me, with God, I can conquer all,” she said.
BBNaija Season 7: Fans commend organisers, call for improvement in next edition
Meanwhile, some fans of the reality TV show have commended the organisers for an entertaining and educating show. The fans expressed divergent views of their assessment of the show, with some advice to improve on the next edition.
25-year-old Josephina Otabor, known as Phyna, emerged the winner of the season 7 Level Up edition as she walked away with N100 million grand prize.
The grand prize comprises N50 million cash prize, a new SUV by Innoson Motors, a Dubai trip for two, a year supply of Pepsi, new techno phone-Camon 19, supply of Unik soap, and supply of home appliances from Nexus among other mouth-watering items.
Rachael Enem-Isaac, a presenter with Pulse Nigeria, described the show as entertaining and educating. Enem-Isaac said that because the just concluded show was initially split into two level up houses, most fans lost interest in it, which accounted for the low viewership.
She said she also observed that the fans were not as engaging as the previous shows.
“In the previous shows, some of the housemates had already been verified on their social media platforms, while most of them were able to garner over one million followers, but this year, some of the housemates were only able to attract 300,000 followers,” she said.
Enem-Isaac advised the organisers to take a break in 2023, which is the election year, to look into the loopholes, get feedbacks from fans and design ways of improving on the show.
She said since plans were already on ground to merge Nigerian and South African housemates for the next edition, this must be thoroughly planned to present a great show.
“I advise that the organisers take a break in 2023, engage in working on the feedbacks gotten from fans, let 2023 be the election year so that the youth are not distracted from politics and come back in 2024 to present a great show,” she said.
According to a Chinese national, Kelly Lin, Marketing Officer for Oraimo, the show was loaded with vibes, real energy and series of drama which made it interesting compared to the previous editions.
Lin urged corporate organisations to come up with similar shows that will project Nigerian culture, artistes and fashion designers.
She said the show also tried to engage the youth positively in view of the challenge of unemployment experienced in the country.
Also, Uche Adigwe, an electrician, advised the organisers of the show to ensure that the housemates’ privacy was respected by earmarking different rooms for the male and female housemates.
He said this was to create some sanity and decency in the show.
Amanda Pelemo, a businesswoman, said she observed that the just concluded show had more sponsors than the previous editions which made it loaded with fun as each sponsor came up with series of games and tasks for the housemates.
Pelemo commended the process of auditioning for the show which revealed that the housemates were younger and real.
She advised that in subsequent editions, a single house should be maintained as against two houses. According to her, the initial idea of two houses affected the viewership of the show.