The top 4 TV shows SA is most excited about, according to social media trends

Meltwater, the global leader in media intelligence and social analytics, analysed the social media conversations surrounding some of the most popular television shows in South Africa at the moment. We boiled it down to the top four TV shows that South Africa is most excited about, according to social media trends. Here’s what the data shows:

1. Big Brother Mzansi

Big Brother Mzansi returns to our screens on Sunday 23 January 2022 on DSTV 161. The show returns with a brand new host Lawrence Maleka leaving viewers even more excited for the reality show. Big Brother South Africa has received a lot of attention with over 4K mentions on Twitter between December and January.

The top trending themes were driven by:

• Big Brother Mzansi (1802): Viewers expressing their excitement for the show and discussions around the new season.
  
• New Presenter (737): The discussions around the announcement of Maleka as the new presenter of the show.
  
• Classic reality television show (124): Discussions around the return of the show and the show being considered a classic show.

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During the week of 20 December 2021 there was an increased number of positive posts to 385 mentions. The mentions were in relation to the announcement of the Big Brother Mzansi host Lawrence, with South Africans in agreement of the decision. During the first week of January 2022, South African viewers began to count down the days until Big Brother would be aired.

2. The Real Housewives of Durban

After a popular first season, The Real Housewives of Durban make a return with three new housewives. The reality show welcomes Uthando Nesthembu, star and radio personality and the wife of Thobile MaKhumalo Mseleku, singer and songwriter Londie London, and artist Jojo Robinson who is married to businessman Calvin Robinson.

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The peak – with 285 mentions of the show in one day – occurred on 10 January 2022, and was due to the announcement of the new housewives who are set to join the show.

The top trending themes:

• Real Housewives (213 mentions): Announcement of season 2 and the new housewives.
  
• New Season (52 mentions): In reference to the renewal of the show.
  
• Beautiful Singer (7 mentions): Discussion around Londie London joining the show.

As the new season was announced this week, conversations around the drama and the show will continue to grow.

3. Masterchef South Africa

Zola Nene, Justine Drake and Gregory Czarnecki have been announced as the new judges for Masterchef South Africa season 4. The new season premiers on 28 February on M-Net (DSTV Channel 101) at 6pm.

The top trending themes were:

• New judges (25 mentions): This is in reference to the announcement of the new season’s judges.
  
• Award (24 mentions): Conversations around the caliber of the judges’s accolades.
  
• Female judges (22 mentions): Discussions around the South African version having two female judges and that not being a norm for the show.

Emotional Comparison: 1 January to 17 January 2022

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The most used emoji was the heart emoji that symbolises love (34). This is an expression of the viewers loving the show and the new judges. The second most used emoji symbolises joy (30). The viewers are expressing their excitement for the return of the show.

4. Euphoria

The American teen series drama that follows a group of high school students through experiences of identity has made an epic return to our screens this January, thanks to Showmax.

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The data shows that 22% of viewers feel mostly positive about the show in South Africa, as opposed to 58% of neutral sentiment, 18% negative and 1% not rated.

The positive sentiment was driven by Showmax’s efficiency in posting the episodes, Euphoria being one of the most anticipated returning shows in 2022 and the overall quality of the show.

The negative sentiment accounted for 18%, the social media data indicates that this is because viewers wish all the episodes were released at once.

The top trending themes:
● Gap between seasons (29 mentions): Discussions around the long gap between season 1 and 2.
● Season (21 mentions): Conversations about the new season.
● Drug Addiction (17 mentions): Conversations around Zendaya’s character Rue and her drug addiction on the show.

As Euphoria continues to air, there will be more commentary on the show – watch this space!

About Meltwater

Meltwater is a leading global provider of social and media intelligence. By examining millions of posts each day from social media platforms, blogs and news sites, Meltwater helps companies make better, more informed decisions based on insight from the outside.

Meltwater was founded in Oslo, Norway, in 2001 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with 50 offices across six continents. The company has 1,700 employees and 28,000 corporate customers, including industry leaders in several sectors.

For more information visit www.meltwater.com.