The Real Housewives franchise is expanding across Africa with new editions in Nairobi and Pretoria set to be first up, according to reports.
According to a new piece from Variety, NBCUniversal Formats, the division responsible for selling NBC’s properties across the globe, is expanding its relationship with African entertainment company Multichoice, leading to the two new cities in production.
Independent production company Provoco is currently filming a fourteen-episode first season of The Real Housewives of Pretoria, one of South Africa’s three capital cities, while The Real Housewives of Nairobi will begin production later this year with Kenyan company Young Rich Television in charge.
The news comes following local and international success for the African versions of the series, with The Real Housewives of Durban airing an explosive second season earlier this year. That led in to dramatic first seasons of The Real Housewives of Lagos and The Real Housewives of Cape Town, and this new report indicates that NBC has no plans on slowing down any time soon.
Recently, production partners gathered in Cape Town with representatives from Bravo and U.S. production company Matchbox Pictures to share best practices and that seems to be where the development news has come from.
“We are so proud to build on the continued success of The Real Housewives franchises across Africa,” said Ana Langenberg, senior VP, format sales and productions at NBCUniversal Formats. “The way each version faithfully embodies the spirit of the city, people and rich cultures it showcases connects with audiences across the region and the diaspora. It was such a magical moment to bring our production partners together with Multichoice for our summit in Cape Town to connect, collaborate and map out more versions we can add to the family.”
In addition to Durban, Lagos, Cape Town, and soon-to-be Pretoria and Nairobi, audiences were first introduced to the franchise in Africa via The Real Housewives of Johannesburg. That show has been put on pause, however, with rumours it could be returning with a third season sometime next year.
