MTN, Ultima join forces on Project Fame West Africa

Telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria is determined to offer another life-cycle of excitements to Nigerian viewers’ home as it partners with the producers of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Ultima Communications, in unveiling Project Fame Television show, at the weekend.

Speaking at the groovy ceremony at the Planet One, the Chief Marketing Officer at MTN Nigeria, Mr. Bola Akingbade said the project is intended to fish out more talents in the country.

He said that this is yet another opportunity being offered by MTN to encourage Nigerians to take to professional music.

“We are here to open the famous Fame Academy,” he declared.

Akingbade added that it would involve 16 candidates drawn from various parts of West Africa and is expected to last for 90 days under the guidance of professionals at different stages of the project.

Also, he said that the group would be divided into groups who would later embark on probation and viewers would have the option of voting for their favourites at various stages until the last three emerge.

At MTN, he said, this presents huge opportunity for the teleco and its subscribers.

“All participating candidates should be able to play instruments, write and sing their songs,” he said.

According to him, the over-all winner would be contracted with a car and some cash reward.

The second place winner, he said, would also get a car, but not as much as the over-all winner got. However, all the top three are expected to perform at all the MTN Xtra Cool events.

In the structured college, Akingbade said, progress would be monitored weekly by a jury in a performance management system and is expectation is that the MTN Project Fame period would be one of the best for television viewers as the 26-minute show would be on TV through out the period.

“MTN Project Fame is a huge opportunity to harvest music talents. Winners will get recording contracts, cash, car gifts and be given the opportunity to perform in all MTN Xtra Cool events. To the young people, we say, go and become famous. This is your chance and make it happen,” he urged.

Akingbade also charged the organisers to shop thoroughly round West African countries for sixteen young minds who, as students, would then be housed in one environment and be nurtured into music icons within the three months the programme would last.

Equally speaking, the chief executive of Ultima Communications, Mr. Femi Ayeni, commended MTN Nigeria for buying into the concept presented by his firm once again.

He said that what they have decided to do is to team up with biggest network on the continent alongside Endemol and the largest television network in the country, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to make it happen.

“What we have decided to do is to team with the biggest mobile phone company in the country, MTN, the biggest Reality TV producer in the world, Endemol and the biggest TV network in Africa, NTA, to bring this show to Nigerians,” he said.

Mr. Ayeni explained that what Ultima plans to do with the project is to teach, entertain and inform in the company’s tradition demonstrated in Who Wants to be a Millionaire among other reality shows on its stable.

As said by him, Project Fame Academy would train the candidates on chorography, instruments and how to become professional musicians.

The students, he said, will also have the opportunity to fulfill their life ambitions by performing alongside their music idols within the period.

ITRealms Online, recalls that Project Fame originally belongs to Endemol but is berthing on Nigerian airwave through Ultima Communications which has other relationships with them in some other projects.


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