M-Net finds 'Power' in South Africa

Sony TV Intl. gameshow premieres

By CHRISTELLE DE JAGER

JOHANNESBURG -- Paybox M-Net unveiled Sony Pictures TV Intl.'s hit format "The Power of 10" on Thursday with a 10 million rand ($1.4 million) cash prize, the biggest in South African TV.

Johannesburg-based Rapid Blue produces the local version, set to premiere in August.

"The Power of 10" has already been produced in Australia, Columbia, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Russia and Sweden. In May, it won the award for gameshow at the Rose d'Or TV fest in Switzerland.

The show is based on people's perceptions about the world they live in, with contestants asked to predict popular opinion as accurately as possible.

A market research company will poll thousands of people around South Africa on a host of questions on a variety of topics. The contestants will then have to accurately predict what percentage of South Africans answered the question in a specific way.

M-Net head of original productions Carl Fischer said gamers are a sure-fire hit with M-Net viewers.

The prize "will certainly be a huge draw card for contestants and viewers alike, but the questions will also have people thinking and talking," he added.

Fischer said potential contestants have until June 8 to apply for the show.