Dancehall Divas’ Secures Production and Broadcast Partnership with CEEN Caribbean TV…
Dancehall Divas Secures Production and Broadcast Partnership with Sportsmax Limited for the show to air on its international TV Network, CEEN Caribbean TV.
In October of 2018, we carried a story about an impending reality show that created quite a buzz in dancehall circles around the world. That show was Dancehall Divas of Toronto and at the time the concept was centered around six women who were considered some of the main faces of the Toronto Dancehall scene — a tribal, indigenous and quaint entertainment lifestyle sub-culture. Whilst that concept, though hugely popular at the time, subsequently stalled for reasons producers describe as inconsequential; a recent co-production partnership with Sportsmax Limited, (parent company of CEEN Caribbean TV,) has renewed the buzz on what’s next for the much anticipated reality show. With the new partnership, comes expected changes including a revised concept and most significantly, the decision to drop the Toronto name from the title of the show to now be called Dancehall Divas.
Sportsmax a subsidiary of the Digicel Group, provides content to the Caribbean Diaspora through CEEN, the North American sister channel available in the United States (on Cablevision Optimum and Verizon Fios) and in Canada (on Rogers & Bell Media). CEEN, which has broadcast access in over 1.7 million homes, is currently the most watched multi-cultural channel in the diaspora and is also streamed globally online via subscription.
Our publication understands that Elliott Productions Reality Group, a subsidiary of LHDT Productions, creators and producers of Dancehall Divas will begin formal production to fulfill its first official season obligation (along with a LIVE Reunion show) for the network. The network has ordered ten, 30 minutes episodes for the first season, under what sources close to the partnership say is potentially a three year stint set to kick off during the 2020 mid-season premier sweep, which is usually January to February. This means over the period, Dancehall Divas could be in your living rooms and online for at least six seasons. The show will own the network’s Thursday night Prime Time TV slot from 9:00pm-9:30pm, a chance for the show to capitalize on the sole attention of it’s audience. Advertisers are said to be looking forward to this new development, seen as one of the most high value production on the network, which will appeal to the targeted demographic advertisers most favour — women between the ages of 24–55 years old. When contacted for this story, Heather Elliott-Whitehead, CEO of LHDT Productions and EIC of Dancehall Divas, issued the the following statement.
“We are thrilled with the partnership and the commitment of an esteemed regional network to carry Dancehall Divas exclusively. The pressure is now on and as such, we are hard at work behind the scenes getting the cast ready and putting our production needs in order. We have a very tight window to execute a high quality production in short time, so we are solely focused on that now. We will be shooting footage in three countries and that’s a highly ambitious task, certainly not easy to achieve. It takes an incredible amount of time, resources and precision to film, edit and produce ten 30 minutes episodes, plus bonus scenes and other supporting footage in such short time. We are really going up against the wire here,but we are also keen on making a good show so on the other hand, we will take as much time as we need to make it perfect. Everyday from here on out though is crucial. No doubt, this is exciting news for everyone involved, particularly for some of the original cast who are still with us. The show has changed. It has outgrown the initial concept of just women from Toronto to now include, women from all four major dancehall cities. There are castmembers representing London, Jamaica, New York and of course Toronto. We are proud to now be an internationally focused series. No one city will feel left out because every dancehall populous will be represented in every episode. We couldn’t ask for a better scenario. In some way, we are setting the stage for future franchises which we have already begun to trademark. I can say without a doubt that the official first season will be nothing short or riveting and sensational, because we have included castmembers who will force the conversation about inclusivity and diversity in dancehall. The casts unique stories, mishaps and everything in between will resonate with and be relatable to viewers and this makes for an entertaining, must-see television. This is not your average dancehall content. The show will highlight a very different outlook of what living the dancehall lifestyle is about. There is swag, class, opulence, entertainment and of course a little bit of drama. On a whole, this is an incredible opportunity for the castmembers who will be introduced to a massive audience whereby creating exponential opportunities for themselves outside of the show. In addition to the almost two million people who have access to CEEN, the show will be aired via online stream globally to markets like Japan and Scandanavia where there is a huge affinity for the dancehall culture. The future is now for the women who we call Dancehall Divas”
At the time of this publication, we did not receive confirmation on the final cast roster, however, Heather indicated to us that there are about nine main castmembers and the official cast photos will be released closer to the air date of the show. We are told, there will be surprises. Contrary to misguided notions, a reality show or TV project often takes years to develop and in some cases are scrapped even before it gets off the ground, which means then by general industry standards; Dancehall Divas feared pretty well. Earlier on in the concept phase of Dancehall Divas, word got out about the show which resulted in the premature release of information (and subsequent trailer) that should not have otherwise been released, prompting critics, primarily in the host city to speculate about the future of the show.
Heather indicated that in preparation for the show’s premiere, her company along with CEEN will be aggressively promoting the channel’s subscription service in its primary markets of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. The show will also announce its formal public launch events in the coming months. Events will take place in all key markets.
CEEN is positioning the network for the new series and in a statement sent to our newsroom, they expressed the following; “CEEN TV is pleased to be partnering with Elliott Productions to bring to viewers a must watch reality TV show, Dancehall Divas. Dancehall Divas will be shot on location in Canada, USA, UK and parts of the Caribbean, especially with great content from the Dancehall Market Jamaica. The show will be unique and colourful, depicting the lifestyle, music, drama and passion of our culture. CEEN TV is the only 24/7 channel that caters 100% to the appetite of not just the Caribbean diaspora, but also stake holders and persons who are interested in and consuming things Caribbean. CEEN TV is always at the forefront and continues to be the cutting edge of Caribbean content and Dancehall Divas is just another bold step in satisfying the ever growing demand of original and local content”.
To learn more about CEEN TV and to subscribe to CEEN TV online, click here.
In addition to CEEN, the show will later be carried in syndication on other VOD platforms and networks worldwide. No further disclosures were made about the additional details of the partnership at this time.
