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Luxury cars? Check! Fancy clothes and makeup? Check? Sleazy drama? Double check, It’s reality TV showtime.

Are streaming platforms turning to reality TV shows to remain afloat? [Pulse Editor's Opinion] | Pulse Nigeria

Precious 'Mamazeus' Nwogu

Since the reality TV boom of the 2000s, studies have shown that streamers are tapping into the guilty pleasures that they offer. For one, they are cheaper to make, entertaining without requiring too much brainwork plus data proves the fans love it!&nbsp;

During the quarantine, Reelgood, a U.S. movie and TV search engine collected data from 2 million-plus monthly active users to discover which streaming platform’s reality shows have consumers devoured the most and Netflix emerged top with its ‘Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness’.&nbsp;

Netflix’s foray into reality show production have proven successful and on March 18, 2022, the debuted their first African test- Young, Famous and African.&nbsp;

Co-created by Peace Hyde, the show’s recipe was pretty basic. Throw in a number of celebrities, double on the luxury, glamour and throw in enough drama to get their audience talking. It would not go down in history as one of Netflix’s&nbsp;most successful shows but it did serve its purpose. Even if it was for a few weeks.&nbsp;

Prior to YFA, Showmax launched its first Nigerian original, a reality show that clung rather desperately, to the garment of the most successful reality show of this century on this side of the globe- Big Brother Naija.&nbsp;

Since<a href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/movies/laycon-to-star-in-showmaxs-first-nigerian-original-series-i-am-laycon/dt0mf0n"> Showmax’s unscripted show with BBNaija’s Laycon</a>, the streamer has gone on to launch another- the Nigerian version of NBCUniversal ‘Real Housewives’ franchise, a far more successful attempt going by social media reaction ( as streamers are not very generous with subscriber data).&nbsp;

Netflix’s YFA and Showmax’s RHOL are almost identical in their projection of Africa. Gone with the third world version and in with shots portraying a version of Africa that Africans didn't know we needed.&nbsp;

An angle to this trend perhaps points to how these shows find their way to conversations more nuanced than the shows themselves. Shows like BBNaija have found a way to influence pop culture and by a large scale, of strong economic value.&nbsp;

According to a report by Plaqad, BBNaija has amassed a viewership of over 40 million people across Africa. 41.2% of that staggering figure are between the ages of 25-34. The huge interest in entertainment (and unemployment), have ensured BBNaija’s chokehold on its loyal fanbase.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The data is unarguably a great resource for streamer strategy sessions. Are young Africans addicted to reality shows? What kind of shows? What’s the right mix of glitz and glamour to guarantee re-watch value? Are they only interested in glitz and glamour or is it just the drama?&nbsp;

A common denominator to shows like BBNaija, YFA and Real Housewives of Lagos is the presence of social media trend-worthy drama and high resonance of characters. Perhaps, it’s not about the glitz and glamour, and more about the drama laid bare.&nbsp;

In its Q1 report, Netflix reported that it lost 200,000 subscribers, and estimates that it could lose two million more in Q2. We’re a long way from its 200% increase in subscribers in Q2 2020, which mostly came from international markets. Before the lockdown ensued, several platforms reported that the world would go through an ‘attention recession,’ during which platform loyalty would take a hit.&nbsp;

The lockdown kept everybody indoors and bored, and we turned to streaming platforms. This led to an increase in loyalty for streamers and delayed the attention recession. But now that the world is back to normal, it feels like the ‘lockdown bubble’ has taken a huge hit. Already, the paywall-exclusive content model employed by different visual steamers has led to a saturation of content and high expenses.&nbsp;

People have complained about how no one platform can fully satisfy any user. In response, platforms like Amazon have attempted to create a flywheel of products, to better serve their subscribers. Yet, Netflix - which remains the most recognized visual streamer of this era - battles its dearth of content. It has shored up that dearth with originals and documentaries.&nbsp;

In Africa, Showmax looks like a better bet, content-wise and value-wise. But even Showmax doesn’t have the widest array of content yet. Already, Amazon Prime is making inroads into Africa by funding Flavour’s documentary and <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/movies/bad-comments-sequelthe-crusader-to-begin-filming-in-july/8e9nmyw">recently licensing Jim Iyke’s movie.</a> For international markets like Nigeria, Showmax and Netflix are employing a similar strategy, while Amazon Prime hasn’t entered the reality show realms yet.&nbsp;

But we can definitely report that RHOL and YFA have led to higher stock for Showmax and Netflix respectively, as regards customer acquisition. Sources close to both platforms report an increase in subscribers, but didn’t give exact percentages. However, both platforms appear to be concerned about retaining those new subscribers once their respective cash cows are over.

Netflix and its counterparts are, at best, still exploring the African market. Reality shows might be the sweet spot they’ve struggled to mine for years.&nbsp;&nbsp;

*Pulse Editor's Opinion is the viewpoint of an Editor at Pulse. It does not represent the opinion of the Organisation Pulse.

Annie Idibia stars in 'Young, Famous and Africa' reality show on Netflix [Instagram/naijaonnetflix]

Are streaming platforms turning to reality TV shows to remain afloat? [Pulse Editor's Opinion]

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