Press Release
MTV SNAPS UP EXCLUSIVE AFRICAN TV RIGHTS TO
“THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON”
HIT TALK SHOW TO PREMIERE ACROSS AFRICA FROM 24 SEPTEMBER 2014
Youth entertainment channel
MTV (DStv Extra, Compact & Premium, channel 130) has acquired exclusive African TV broadcast rights to U.S. talk show ratings winner
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from
NBCUniversal International Television Distribution.
Starting Wednesday 24 September 2014,
MTV will air a daily dose of
Fallon’s trademark chat, humour, superstar guests, audience participation and more at 18:00 CAT (weekdays). An omnibus edition will run on the weekends from 17:00-19:00 CAT, Saturday-Sunday.
Having taken over the reins of
The Tonight Show from late night legend
Jay Leno in February 2014,
Fallon has refreshed and reinvigorated the late night fixture, bringing a high energy feel to the franchise.
Commented
Dillon Khan, Channel Director, MTV & VH1, South Africa, “
MTV and
Jimmy Fallon have a long history of collaboration, going back to 2002 when he hosted the
Video Music Awards. We are delighted that
Jimmy will be joining our line-up as star of
The Tonight Show, and thrilled to be introducing this entertainment phenomenon to new audiences in Africa.
"We expect
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to form a staple part of our audience’s daily viewing, with each show driving conversations among fans from the swings in the playground to the water cooler at work and everywhere in between.”
Five months into his new job,
Fallon has already made a firm mark on his audience with his unique comedic wit, on-point pop culture awareness, welcoming style and impeccable taste in music. The Emmy
® and GRAMMY
® Award-winning comedian, actor, musician and author infuses
The Tonight Show with a good-natured and endearing "welcome to the party" vibe, packed with silly games, pranks, sketches and funny anecdotes, all involving A-list stars.
Where else will you see
Michelle Obama hamming it up with
Will Ferrell;
Charlize Theron and
Josh Hartnett playing Charades; ,
Morgan Freeman being interviewed on helium; Broadway star
Idina Menzel belting out the Oscar
®-winning song "Let It Go" accompanied only by classroom instruments; or a laughing
Julia Roberts being hit in the face with a giant transparent beach ball? And whoever thought they’d see the day that
Tom Cruise would smash raw eggs into his glossy mane of hair…?
A U.S. television institution for almost 60 years,
The Tonight Show is home to big-name celebrity guests and a stage for top musical and comedic talent. Taking a cue from his unforgettable predecessors, including hosts
Johnny Carson and
Jay Leno,
Fallon has carried on the tradition that audiences know and love - kicking off every show with the iconic
Tonight Show monologue.
Known for his huge online presence,
Fallon also includes many of the popular segments, celebrity sketches and musical parodies that fans have grown to love including
#Hashtags,
Thank You Notes and
Slow Jam the News, with many clips from the series going viral online after the show.
The critically praised/Grammy
®-winning group,
The Roots, serves as
The Tonight Show house band;
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is taped in front of a live studio audience at Studio 6B, Rockefeller Center, New York.