More than anything, the numbers generated by Big Brother Naija Season 4 has brought pepper to some eyes. People are either amazed, surprised or angered by the statistics of voting and income. Anger is the response of moralists and the old-school to the obvious humungous viewership of this popular yet much-hated programme.
BB Naija 4 Pepper Dem ended on Sunday, October 6. It was the most popular and most-watched of the Nigerian version of Big Brother since its inception. DSTV reports that 50 million citizens voted during the duration of the programme. Accountants out in the streets quickly calculated that to mean income of N7.2 billion. You need to add to this income from sponsorship and advertising to appreciate the scale of revenue in only 99 days of programming.
Miss Mercy Eke walked into the history books that day as the one with the most pepper and the first female housemate to win. She earned N60m, half of that in cash. There would be other benefits as she goes around to popularise her win.
Mercy Eke, 26, exemplifies some of the reasons BB Naija Pepper Dem has implacable enemies and critics. Followers of the series accuse her of lacking any discernible talents as if the programme was a talent hunt. They say she was on the side of all that is wrong with the program: showy, irreverent, pretentious, materialistic and engaged in relationships with the opposite sex that would not pass muster in the morality test.
Twenty-six participants became housemates when they entered the house on 30 June 2019. Only five made the final cut on 6 October. There were 12 males and 14 females.
Big Brother Naija was annoying to old school viewers. For 24 hours each day, it showed young people doing nothing except scheming to emerge winner of N60m in 99 days. The organisers and the coordinator, Biggie, had to improvise activities. This seeming aimlessness was the main beef with the programme. Add the others such as unclear criteria for the award, questionable twists, sex and romance, and the absence of engaging content.
BB Naija 4 fitted into the mould of reality TV everywhere as programming that documents purportedly real-life situations starring unknown individuals rather than professional actors. Such programmes gained prominence beginning in the 1980s. Prototypes are Survivor, Idols, and Big Brother, all of which are global franchisees. They also include The X Factor, Got Talent, MasterChef, Dragons’ Den, Deal or No Deal and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Candid Camera (1948) of the US is considered the first. Hidden cameras captured people in unusual situations. More recent reality shows are competition-based with the audience as the judges.
Criticisms of BB Naija 4 followed the global trend. People say the reality TV programmes do not reflect reality as situations are artificial, deceptive, with some programmes coaching participants on behaviour, while they generate storylines ahead of time. Others say they humiliate or exploit winners, rig the outcome, and make stars out of unworthy people lacking in genuine talent. Finally, they glamourise vulgarity, immorality and materialism.
Criticisms of BB Naija 4 followed the global trend. People say the reality TV programmes do not reflect reality as situations are artificial, deceptive, with some programmes coaching participants on behaviour, while they generate storylines ahead of time
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These programmes hold an intense fascination for people. Kim Kardashian is a daughter of one of the OJ Simpson defence attorneys and commenced her programme soon after the trial. OJ Simpson was reality TV.
The appeal of BB Naija despite the criticism by elders and moralists provoked my interest. There are many lessons, beginning with the winner Mercy Eke. She was proof of the power of positive thinking and claiming things by faith. From day one, she asserted that she had come to claim the prize and take home the money. She drove down in an iconic vehicle, the Citroen saloon.
There are many other elements of the programme, including character, influence over others, emotional intelligence versus IQ, and focus in the face of distractions. How would you behave in such a situation even as unlikely as it seems?
The survival of the fittest setting of BB Naija is a spellbinder for audiences. They speculate on the outcomes, then watch every move of the housemates. BB Naija more significantly speaks to the shortage of arresting programmes on TV.
Nigeria needs serials with active appeal and messaging to which audiences can relate. The Mexican soaps, based on the Sabido Methodology, continue to hold the attention of substantial number of viewers. Then there is a mix of Nigerian and foreign soaps with strong audience appeal. Recently, we had Battleground, Halita, Mehek and Tinsel.
BB Naija adopted elements of the Sabido Methodology without the ultimate objective of social change. Named after Miguel Sabido, producers deploy the Sabido Method for compelling stories that draw in audiences and subliminally affect behaviour change. Some dub it the “sex, soap and social change” approach. Audiences bond with the characters in serials based on Sabido, as they did with BB Naija 4. They get entertainment and valuable information. The entertainment function is a dominant one of the many features of the media and has excellent persuasion quotient.
BB Naija proved the appeal of entertaining content. However, it lacked the education component of Sabido Methodology. Producers and programmers need to look at BB Naija with fresh eyes to see elements that made it such a compelling view for audiences and so profitable for brands that advertised or sponsored programmes. Then deploy it to create compelling platforms for messaging positive values.
CHIDO NWAKANMA
