The Nation Newspaper

Tag: EbonyLife TV

  • EbonyLife TV premieres Sons of the Caliphate

    EbonyLife TV premieres Sons of the Caliphate

    In a bid aimed at repositioning the popular stereotypes about Northern Nigeria, EbonyLife TV, last Thursday, premiered its latest offering, Sons of the Caliphate, at FilmHouse Cinema, Lekki.

    The premiere of the political and cultural series was witnessed by its casts, actors, actresses, well wishers and movie pundits.

    Welcoming guests to the premiere, Mo Abudu, the CEO of EbonyLife TV said that it is very important for us as Nigerians to share as many stories from as many parts of Nigeria as possible.

    “A lot of hard work has gone into this particular project. We took on this gigantic task and we are so proud of the work we have done. We hope that you love the series,” she said.

    Created, written and produced by Dimbo and Karachi Atiya, the 13-part drama series follows the lives of three rich, passionate and ambitious young men who are caught up in the hidden corners of power, the darkness of addiction and the obligations of family loyalty.

    The series takes the audience on a journey into the rich, cultural and flamboyant aristocratic lifestyle of Northern Nigeria.

    According to Dimbo, the idea for Sons of the Caliphate was conceived within an hour after which he wasted no time in contacting the management of EbonyLife TV to partner in the production.

    “We knew that if we are going to tell a contemporary northern story, it had to be on a platform that celebrates the rich culture of Africa. And the northern part of Nigeria has a rich heritage and culture. A lot of people have this mindset about Northern Nigeria. There is the stereotype that the Northern Nigerian is all about chaos and fighting but really, there is so much beauty over there. We set out to do it and we did it right,” he said.

    The drama series stars some of the most prominent names in the Film and TV industry, including Patrick Doyle, Mofe Duncan, Sani Muazu, Rahama Sadau, Paul Sambo, Yakubu Mohammed, Yvonne Hays and many others.

    I

  • EBONYLIFE TV CELEBRATES AT THREE

    AS EbonyLife TV, one of Africa’s foremost entertainment and lifestyle network, turned three penultimate Friday, it was a time for the in-house staff to let loose and party. Held at the EbonyLife TV HQ in Ilupeju, Lagos, the soiree celebrated the dynamic team of people who have helped to create over 3000 hours of premium quality homegrown programming since the 2013 launch.

    CEO of the media outfit, Mo Abudu, said that she wanted to celebrate and say thank the entire EbonyLife Family without whom none of this would be possible.

    “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our viewers, sponsors, advertisers, partners, the EbonyLife TV team and most importantly I give God all glory for the favour. To anyone whom has ever watched, streamed, recorded, shared, tweeted about any of our shows,” she said.

    Notable faces who graced the event include Mrs Victoria Akintunde (Mo Abudu’s mother), Nkiru Anumudu, Ruth Osime, Pat Faniran, Ndidi Atuegwu, Marian Omatsone, Ebun Adeniyi, Debbie Ogene, Bola Ayeni, Ijeoma Nwogwugwu amongst many. Temidayo Abudu, a producer at EbonyLife TV, organised the intimate affair.

    Other guests caught having a good time include producers and presenters, most notably, Toke Makiwa, Zainab Balogun, Tosin Odunfa, Arit Okpo and Bolanle Olukanni. Executive Directors, Lanre Olusola and Uzo Nwochekwa were also spotted.

    In 2016, EbonyLife TV expanded its operations to Lagos where all daily and entertainment shows are now produced. Calabar still remains home to EbonyLife TV largely as the drama production hub.

    In celebrating its third anniversary, the management of EbonyLife TV announced that this July, viewers will enjoy a new bouquet of shows including The Governor, On The Real, Dere, Sons of the Caliphate, Fifty the Series, Men’s Corner, The Boot and Momentz.

  • Mo Abudu’s ‘Fifty’ London Film Festival’s list

    Mo Abudu’s ‘Fifty’ London Film Festival’s list

    CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu, is currently in UK for the 2015 London Film Festival.

    The TV personality, alongside Nollywood Actress Nse Ikpe-Etim, was present for the British Film Institute’s programme which opened on Tuesday, September 1, 2015.

    Clare Stewart, Festival Director, presented the highly-anticipated Nigerian movie, ‘Fifty’, as one of the shortlisted films, announcing it under the ‘Love Category’.

    The presenter’s new project ‘Fifty’, is directed by Biyi Bandele and executively produced by Mo Abudu. The film stars Ireti Doyle, Dakore Akande, Omoni Oboli and Nse Ikpe-Etim.

    The London Premiere of “Fifty” has been fixed for screening on October 17, at the Vue 7 Cinema, London while the Nigeria Premiere is slated for December 13 at the Eko Hotel & Suites VI Lagos.

    The movie, as reported, pushes boundaries to uncover the lives of Lagos’ contemporary and glamorous upper class, sharing the world of four women as they rise above adversity to stand as they truly are; modern African women of substance class and values.

  • Buhari wows Nigerians on EbonyLife TV

    Buhari wows Nigerians on EbonyLife TV

    Entertainment and lifestyle network, EbonyLife TV, last Wednesday, hosted President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) and young professionals in Washington, D.C. to a ‘Meet & Greet’ interactive session.

    The session, held in honour of the President’s historic visit to the United States, had young technocrats and professionals across a wide range of career and business endeavours in attendance. Guests had the rare opportunity of sitting face-to-face with the president to discuss issues of national importance.

    The president’s entourage had Governors Rochas Okorocha, Adams Oshiomhole, Abiola Ajimobi, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura; Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Professor Ade Adefuye; Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele; Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu; Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, among others in attendance.

    Addressing the congregation, President Buhari thanked the channel and Diaspora young professionals for according him the opportunity to grace the interactive session. He restated his promise to tackle insurgency and general insecurity in the country, while emphasising his determination to build a vibrant economy as well as invest heavily in the education sector.

    Host of the Meet & Greet, and CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu, thanked the president for allowing the inclusion of the interactive youth programme in his very busy schedule.

    “We thank you, Mr. President for taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule to meet with our young professionals in the Diaspora. Mr. President, you are loved and those here today are just a tiny percentage of the youths that wanted to be here today but whom we just could not accommodate. Please, Mr. President, our youth truly want to engage with you. I have been overwhelmed these last few days with the outpouring of love and participation from them towards this event and I’m sure they would love another opportunity to make a similar and more inclusive event possible,” she stated.

  • Ebonylife TV to host President Muhammadu Buhari today

    Ebonylife TV to host President Muhammadu Buhari today

    As part of his itinerary, President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) will be hosted by one of Africa’s television station, Ebonylife TV, in Washington, D.C today. The interactive session tagged ‘Meet & Greet’ will also feature young professionals.

    The Meet & Greet, with Mr. President and Young Nigerian Professionals is expected to host scholars and professionals from all over the United States. A statement from the station says that the event has essentially been designed as an avenue to meet with, and interact with Mr. President, on the prospects and challenges involved in the governance of Africa’s most populous nation and the role that our young professionals need to play.

    “As a channel quintessentially made for the youth, home and abroad, we are extremely pleased that President Muhammadu Buhari appreciates the youth and has demonstrated this commitment and passion even on this historical event in Washington DC by agreeing to include them in his very busy programme schedule. As such, he will be meeting with Young Nigerian Professionals in the Diaspora at this important Meet & Greet being organised by our channel. For this, we’re very grateful to Mr. President and his hardworking team,” says the Executive Chairman and CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu.

    At a similar forum in June 2015, the channel hosted the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, to an interactive session with the Nigerian youth, tagged ‘Afternoon Tea with Professor Jega’. At this session in Lagos, young and futuristic professionals from every sector of the economy were in attendance to engage and dialogue with the highly respected Professor on some of the critical issues leading to, during and after the 2015 general elections.

  • EbonyLife TV hosts Emmy Awards judging event

    Ahead of the final announcement of nominees for the 2015 International Emmy Awards slated for Cannes, France on October 5, EbonyLife TV has successfully hosted the Semi-Final Round of judging of the Awards.

    The judging event which held recently at the Eko Hotel and Suites in conjunction with the Academy, attracted some of the best minds in the TV and Film industry who participated as jurors.

    Judges included Academy member, Executive Chairman and CEO, EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu; CEO of Mainframe Productions, Tunde Kelani; Director of Scripted Programming, EbonyLife TV, Quinty Pillay; Managing Director of Brickwall Communications, Mahmood Ali-Balogun; Managing Partner, Biola Alabi Consulting, Biola Alabi; and Programme Advisor, BFI London Film Festival, Keith Shiri.

    Also included were Executive Producer and CEO, DV Worx, Femi Odugbemi; Director, Producer, Casting Director at Sunbow Productions Limited, Tope Oshin-Ogun. Managing Director, Golden Effects Productions, Kunle Afolayan; Managing Director, Royal Roots Productions, Gregory Odutayo; CEO, Unique Sisi Ologe Productions Ltd, Ireti Doyle; and Managing Director, Mindworks CDC, Yinka Ogun.

    According to Mo Abudu, “We are excited to be contributing to the Academy’s mission of recognizing excellence in the global television industry.”

    Speaking for the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Mr. Nathaniel Brendel, Emmy Judging Director, said, “We thank our member, Mo Abudu and her wonderful team for hosting a Semi-Final Judging event for the first time this year, in Lagos. The support of our members is an integral part of the success of the competition worldwide and we are delighted to have included Nigeria as one of the host countries this year.”

  • EbonyLife TV to adapt epic and biblical stories

    EbonyLife TV to adapt epic and biblical stories

    NIGERIA-BASED cable television, EbonyLife TV, is set to produce African-adapted versions of epics and biblical stories such as Cinderella, Robin Hood, Romeo and Juliet, The Prodigal Son, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Little Red Riding Hood and many more.

    Auditions for some of these will begin in July, while production is to commence later this year.

    “It’s a space we have occupied and wish to own. The world loves drama and can’t resist the iconic ones,” said Mo Abudu, Executive Chairman and CEO of EbonyLife TV.

    “At EbonyLife TV, we are determined to continue to offer the world the best of drama, made in Nigeria and  Africa, for a global audience. The best ideas are the simple ones, so our plan is to take those stories and those characters that people are familiar with … those that have a legacy, give their stories an unusual but compelling twist; situate them in our modern African context; let them walk where we walk; let them live where we live; face the temptations and peculiar challenges that we face; fight the battles we fight and celebrate their triumphs the way we do. That’s what this is all about.”

    Once produced, the dramas will broadcast on EbonyLife TV, channel 165 on the DStv platform; in the UK on both Lebera Play and Talk Talk; on DISH in the United States, as well as on Ethnic Channels in Canada.

    This latest move is coming after EbonyLife’s local production of Desperate Housewives Africa, based on the multiple award-winning ABC Television drama hit series, Desperate Housewives.

    EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first Global Black Entertainment and Lifestyle network, was launched on the 1st July 2013, to a pan-African audience, by a license agreement with MultiChoice (DSTV) Africa, Africa’s largest Pay TV platform. The channel which beams to 49 African countries is focused at the African youth, aged 18 to 34, and provides home-grown Anglo-African entertainment programming ranging from Drama and Reality, Talk to Comedy, News to Fashion, Style to Factual, among others.

  • EbonyLife TV announces auditions for new TV Game Show

    A PART from its entertaining value, a new game show by EbonyLife TV, a foremost entertainment and lifestyle network, will be providing a prize galore for its numerous followers. The show is part of the several offerings the channel has promised fans in the new year.

    Titled Play2Win, daily audiitions for the game show, which is an original creation of the EbonyLife TV, has begun. The exercise holds daily between 9am and 6pm at VLA House, Plot 1646, Oko Awo Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    In the show, which will be aired daily, contestants are expected to show up in pairs of either friends, family or colleagues, to get a chance to play to win mouthwatering cash and fantastic prizes.

    Organisers say auditions for Play2Win is open to smart, entertaining, eloquent and personable groups of two individuals who are thrilled by the opportunity of taking part in an exciting TV show and are excited about the prospect of winning cash and prizes in the process.

    A statement from EbonyLive TV said the gift items range from personal care products, gadgets, and household appliances to destination travels, and more.

    In each half-hour episode of Play2Win, successful playing partners will answer questions from selected categories to include Afro pop, food, fashion, home and garden, Do the Math ( a shopping and retail related topic), cars and gadgets, art and architecture, general knowledge, names and dates, banking and finance, travel and lifestyle.

    According to EbonyLive TV, each subsequent question is worth an eye-popping amount of money that will be added to the cash already won per category on an incremental scale.

    “There are five rounds in each game and there are sensational prizes to be won in every round. Round 1, or ‘Quick Money’, is the fastest round and contestants have the opportunity of winning quick and tempting bucks on the way to the second round. The subsequent four rounds include ‘Play Money’, ‘Good Money’, ‘Shopping Money’ and ‘Big Money’  all exhilarating and breathtaking game levels.

  • EbonyLife TV launches in South Africa, others

    TOUTED as Africa’s first Global Black entertainment and lifestyle network, EbonyLife TV has launched in South Africa and Southern African countries.

    The channel is gradually expanding its coverage of Africa, having been broadcasting to DStv customers in 44 countries in West, East and Central Africa since its launch in July 2013.

    With over 1000 hours of African programming from a variety of genres  including reality, talk shows, drama, entertainment, food, politics, music, news, lifestyle and comedy shows, CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu said the channel is aimed at youth aged 18 to 34 who constantly yearn for real African content that speaks to their shared values.

    “We are extremely excited about EbonyLife TV’s extension into the Southern African and South African markets, barely a year after our launch. This expansion is due to our success in the rest of Africa. We are proud of the fact that we are a 100 percent homegrown,” she said.

    In the words of Aletta Alberts, GM for Content for MultiChoice, “EbonyLife TV is the perfect example of how entertaining local content can travel across the continent. I’m sure our DStv Compact, Extra and Premium customers will enjoy the wide variety of entertainment on this channel  there really is something for every member of the family. This is Africa at its best.”

    On EbonyLife this September, viewers across Africa will be captivated with sizzling, spell binding and action-packed dramas such as An African City, the story of five young ladies who decide to return home to Africa, with each episode shot as a pulsating new adventure. In another drama, Dowry, two feuding families are being forced to an uneasy truce by the impending marriage of their children until the groom disappears five hours to the wedding.

    In Learning Curves, five first year students at The Providence University in Abuja who have come from different backgrounds and with varying perceptions about life on campus are forced to live together, against their better choices, as part of the school’s research programme. As the quest for power heightens, the search for love increases as the need for acceptance deepens.

    Fattening Room follows six extremely beautiful, feisty and modern women from Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Kenya through a compelling journey of self-discovery in the picturesque city of Calabar as they seek to re-discover the magical legacies of the timeless Efik tradition.

  • EbonyLife TV warms up for first anniversary

    EbonyLife TV warms up for first anniversary

    After a special date with the African press at the Multichoice content showcase in Mauritius last week, Nigeria-based global entertainment and lifestyle network, EbonyLife TV, is set to celebrate its first anniversary with a live activation titled: “The Studio Experience”.

    The channel, which made its debut with a successful launch in Lagos on June 30, 2013, has announced plans to mark its one year of broadcast impact on the media and entertainment landscape in Africa.

    The event, according to reports, is designed to showcase the making of some of its favourite programmes in an interactive and entertaining way on July 20, at its Tinapa Studios’ home in Calabar, Cross River State.

    “It is a must-attend and thrilling extravaganza, where TV meets art and art meets music,” said the management of the company in a statement.

    The statement further revealed that some of EbonyLife TV’s flagship shows would come alive before the guests, giving them a unique opportunity of witnessing how some of the channel’s major shows are put together from the pre-production to post-production stage.

    Described as a pop-up activation, the event is being promoted as a day of spectacular excitement and glitz. “The Studio Experience is expected to take guests on a unique journey of TV production, imaginative art and inspiring music to be anchored on a mix of ‘tribute story lines’, klieg lights and special effects for lovers of original home-grown entertainment,” said Mo Abudu, chairman and CEO of EbonyLife TV.

    ”On a night, one year ago (June 30, 2013), we gathered to celebrate. Some of us at the Eko Hotel in Lagos and others still at our Studios in Tinapa, Calabar, for the unified purpose heralding the birth of brilliance and excellence in Global Black Entertainment Television. We celebrated the launch of EbonyLife TV, Africa’s First Global Black Entertainment Network,” she said added.

    Thanking the theme that has brought the channel to its present height, the EbonyLife boss further said: “As we celebrate again the first anniversary since our launch one year ago, let me express my deepest thanks and heart-felt gratitude to God and to everyone in the EbonyLife TV family. We have come this far because we stood together, worked together and believed in the dream to create what is today the envy of entertainment television in Africa and beyond.”

    Reflecting on the high and low moments so far, Abudu said she was encouraged by the commendations received from different parts of the world on the quality of our programming and the positivity with which the channel had been telling the African stories. “We are today one of the fastest- rising channels on the DStv bouquet and we are working to become number one by God’s grace,” she said.

    This celebratory style studio experience will also present guests with the opportunity of meeting with the EbonyLife TV’s on-air personalities as well as interact with individuals who make things happen behind the scenes.

    According to the organisers, each show on the evening will feature its awar- winning presenters, set pieces and audience participation. The shows to be activated include pan-Africa’s first daily syndicated talk show, Moments with Mo and the most laid-back show on TV, The Spot.

    Guests will also get the unique chance of mingling with the crew and cast of EL Now, EL Reports, The Fattening Room, Love Lounge and EL R8D, creating a fresh and unrivalled fun experience for everyone to enjoy.