KTN to air new reality programme series

Safaricom C.E.O Bob Collymore (left) receives a one liter pack of yogurt from Chairman Meru Central dairy Mr Simon Kingi,(center) on December 13,2016,when he paid them a visit with a delegation of safaricom bosses at the facility, next to them is Meru Central dairy C.E.O Ken Gitonga. [Photo:Peter Muthomi/Standard].

A local reality television series dubbed BLAZE BYOB TV will be aired on KTN starting February 6, 2017.

The new programme will run every Monday from 8pm to 9pm for eight weeks.

It will comprise 12 budding entrepreneurs who will be competing to win Sh5 million worth of business support from Safaricom.

The grand prize includes Sh3 million in capital, with additional winnings in the form of mentorship, financial advice and business support.

This was revealed yesterday when Safaricom signed a partnership deal with Standard Group where the latter will televise the entrepreneurship programme.

“The BLAZE BYOB TV show will offer life changing opportunities to the 12 young contestants, who were selected through a rigorous process of interviews held at each of the BYOB Summits between June and October this year,” said Safaricom Consumer Business Unit Director Sylvia Mulinge.

EVALUATE CONTESTANTS

She added: “The show will deliver a dynamic mix of entertainment and education, and we’d like to see audiences relate to the contestants, develop relationships with them and vote for or against them via social media.”

Since its launch in May, 2016 BLAZE has signed up close to 900,000 subscribers.

Over 44,000 youth below the age of 26 attended the mentorship summits that took place in Eldoret, Thika, Nakuru, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. Of the number, 778 young men and women went through an intensive five-stage audition process that resulted in the selection of the 12.

“We saw great potential in the contestants we selected and there is no doubt that they will deliver great entertainment,” added Mulinge.

The TV show will have a panel of three judges who will evaluate the contestants’ performance throughout the season.

The judges will also be joined by guest judges selected from various fields in line with the different challenges that will be presented to the contestants.

“We are excited to be partnering with Safaricom to bring this show to our audience. Having worked with the team during the BYOB Summits, we feel we have a clear understanding of what the BLAZE platform is all about and it’s something that we know our youthful audience will definitely want to tune into every Monday,” said Standard Group Managing Director Broadcast Division Joe Munene.

He added: “Those who are not able to tune into the show every Monday can catch it on our online platform, where we will also provide constant updates and engaging content created specifically for the online audience.”

BLAZE is a sub-brand of Safaricom and was created to give youth aged 26 and below products, services and benefits tailored specifically to meet their everyday needs.

A first of its kind platform in Kenya, East and Central Africa, BLAZE was founded on what Kenyan youth say is most important to them – freedom, empowerment and success.