Local reality series “The Coolest OGs” has been picked up by Banijay, one of the largest international content producers in the entertainment industry.
The production company that is also responsible for popular formats like “Survivor”, “MasterChef” and “Big Brother” among others, obtained the exclusive rights from South African production company Rebelintown, to reproduce the reality series in other territories.
Created by Jimmy Muteba, “Still Got It!” (locally titled, “The Coolest OGs”) sees older people aged between 60 and 80 competing in a series of fun and unexpected challenges with the help of the Gen Z, to see which of them has ’Still Got It!’.
From modelling, songwriting, dancing, gaming, cooking, art and adventure sports, the vibrant older people are put to the test by their younger counterparts. A cash prize is up for grabs by the person who impresses the panel of influential young judges.
undefinedThe original show was produced for SABC2 last year and was then licensed to streaming platform Showmax in September.
While Rebelintown still retains the rights to distribute the format in Africa, they are working in partnership with Banijay on a non-exclusive basis in North Africa, and Banijay will be exclusively responsible for deals across the rest of the world.
CEO of Rebelintown, Jimmy Muteba, said that there is a growing movement which sees African creativity having its moment in the spotlight.
“This format cuts across generations and with its universal nature, ’Still Got It!’ holds great potential to be adapted across the globe.
“Banijay is a company that has long inspired me creatively with local versions of big, noisy formats such as ”MasterChef“, ”Survivor“ and ”Big Brother“ so popular here in South Africa, and we are incredibly pleased to be heading to the world stage and joining their premium quality slate,” said Muteba.
While Carlotta Rossi Spencer, Head of Format Acquisitions at Banijay said the burgeoning creative industry in South Africa is exciting and its a great time to take Rebelintown’s “Still Got It!” to the rest of the world.
"We are constantly looking for new innovative partners, and fresh creative IP, and we see great potential in this positive, intergenerational show.
“We are impressed with the unscripted content created by the team at Rebelintown and look forward to bringing an original show from South Africa to the international market,” said Spencer.
Other credits for Rebelintown include TRACE Music Star, the world’s first music talent search competition where the public enters by simply recording their song on a phone call.
The show was licensed to TRACE, and rolled out across 14 African countries, over three seasons, and also sold to France.
High-profile judges included Wyclef Jean, Akon, Keri Hilson and Dawala.
“Still Got It!” will join Banijay’s catalogue of over 4 000 formats.