The Mic: Africa returns to an app near you

MTN Group and TBTM Studios are set to launch Season 3 of The Mic: Africa, an interactive talent search programme that discovers talented youth across the continent.

 The sponsorship is part of “The Voice” phase of MTN’s brand refresh, which highlights the importance of people using their voices to inspire others and facilitates conversations that showcase Africa’s progress.

Using the Take Back the Mic (TBTM) app, fans cast and curate The Mic: Africa, earning points for discovering and amplifying 30 new talents from across 10 African countries. These include five of MTN’s key territories: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. 

The Mic: Africa will air in September at tbtm.app and on Pulse TV as part of Premium Free Satellite TV’s offerings across more than 20 African countries.

Premium Free can be accessed via a dedicated MicroApp within ayoba, the all-in-one app taking Africa by storm.  All ayoba users can access the Premium Free MicroApp. MTN subscribers benefit from free data to stream the content. Ayoba users will also have access to exclusive content like behind-the-scenes footage and finalist profiles.

The Mic: Africa has won several major international awards, including 5 Telly Awards (Two Gold, Two Silver, and One Bronze) opposite the biggest companies in media, including Disney, HBO and Netflix.

Executive produced by an award-winning team of Hollywood and international creatives, including Marc Byers, former general manager of Motown Records, The Mic: Africa is positioned as the first interactive TV format born on the African continent to be exported around the world.

“Our goal is to amplify the voices of game-changing African talents across the Continent,” says Byers. 

Ghana-born TBTM Studios founder and CEO Derrick N. Ashong says “Partnering with Africa’s largest telco, MTN is a natural alliance because we share their commitment to discover and promote the young “do-ers” of Africa. Our vision and values are aligned.”

Bernice Samuels, MTN Executive for Marketing, says: “Africa’s youth are at the core of our progress as a continent. MTN’s brand refresh centres on them as they hold the future in their hands. Our partnership with The Mic: Africa highlights how the youth are using the power of their voice to impact positive change from community to country and ultimately across the continent.”