11th November, 2022
Leading entertainment platform, TikTok has teamed up with African streaming service, Showmax, to provide up-and-coming comedic content creators with an opportunity to become TikTok’s next Comedy Stars.
TikTok has seen a rise in original comedic content with over 2 billion views in-app under various hashtags, such as #africanparents which has 2.3B views, and #naijacomedy with 959, 4M views.
All our Naija comedy creators need to do is submit their best original comedic video to the Naija Comedy Festival hashtag challenge on TikTok, using their own voices or sound.
The hashtag challenge kicks off on the 10th of November 2022 in-app and will be open to the public until 1st December 2022. During this time, local comedians have the opportunity to share their hilarious comedic content using #NaijaComedyFestival to enter.
The top 15 content creators will be reduced to a list of the best five finalists that will be voted for through an in-app voting process. These creators will be given the opportunity to participate in a one-day mentorship event which will be co-hosted by TikTok, Showmax and comedian, actor, activist and TikTok funnyman, Mr. Macaroni. Furthermore, the final group of creators will also be asked to create a comedy video that will be featured on Showmax. The best TikTok video from the challenge will also go on display at www.showmax.com.
The #NaijaComedyFestival challenge is a welcomed initiative as Nigeria already has an established culture of rich comedy that has seen several acts rise from amateur stand-up comics to established comedic figures both locally and abroad. This list includes people like Bovi, Basketmouth, and AliBaba.
Boniswa Sidwaba – Head of content programming at TikTok, SSA, explains: “As an entertainment platform, TikTok is committed to building a safe environment that inspires creativity and supports the discovery of creative talents within our community.
“Comedic content is extremely popular on the platform and nurturing and supporting local comedy creators remains a top priority for us. There has been significant growth within the comedy creator community on TikTok and we are happy to partner with Showmax in encouraging the creative industry in Nigeria through The Naija Comedy Festival hashtag challenge.”
Speaking on the challenge, Busola Tejumola, Executive Head, Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria added, “This partnership with TikTok on the Naija Comedy Festival is one of the many ways we at Showmax are reiterating our commitment to supporting young and local content creators. We are excited about the growth the creative industry is experiencing and we cannot wait to see the output from the talented content creators.”
TikTok is providing the next generation of TikTok comedic creators with a platform to showcase their talents. The platform has already witnessed this success via breakout stars like Sabinus, Shank, and Carter Efe.
To enter, users have to go to TikTok and create a comedy video with original sound (maximum of 3 minutes long) using #NaijaComedyFestival from their active profile.
Users will have to abide by the Ts&Cs to participate in the challenge.