BBNaija 10: Heavyweights Returned, Missing & New Sponsors As Brands Jostle for Consumer Attention
The highly anticipated tenth season of Big Brother Naija (BBNaija), Africa’s biggest reality television show, commenced with back-to-back live premieres on Saturday and Sunday, July 26 and 27, 2025, ushering in a new era of drama, competition, and brand engagement on an unprecedented scale. Themed around “Duos,” this milestone edition introduces a twist that pairs housemates together to test the strength of relationships, friendships, and alliances in a setting where trust, betrayal, and strategy are daily currency. The House will host its contestants over a 10-week run that will culminate in the grand finale on October 5, 2025.
This season, dubbed “BBNaija X” to mark its decade-long journey, introduces a lineup of fresh housemates whose every move will be broadcast 24/7 across DStv Channels with live eviction shows airing every Sunday at 7 PM. The return of the iconic Big Brother Ninjas this season adds another layer of excitement, and as always, the inimitable Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, who first gained prominence as a housemate in the 2006 debut season of Big Brother Nigeria, resumes hosting duties for the eighth consecutive time.
The stakes are higher than ever. The winner of BBNaija Season 10 will walk away with a grand prize package to include a ₦150 million cash award and a brand-new car. Housemates will also earn monetary and non-monetary rewards throughout the season by participating in a variety of brand-sponsored tasks and competitions. These daily and weekly challenges influence house dynamics and entertainment value while also giving much needed eyeballs for the numerous sponsors and partners that power the BBNaija ecosystem.
Heavyweights returned
Over the next 71 days, viewers across the continent will witness twists, emotional highs, betrayals, triumphs, and of course, a captivating clash of brands with at least 37 of them vying for consumer attention through strategic sponsorships, product placements, curated tasks, immersive campaigns, and direct audience engagement.
Topping the roster of brand partners this year is Guinness, which makes a powerful return as the headline sponsor after assuming the gold sponsorship role in the previous edition. It is worthy of note that that first edition of the show that started in 2006 also hard Guinness as a prominent sponsor. Now under the Tolaram umbrella, the iconic stout brand is already showing signs of building a deeply immersive brand presence within the house, leveraging its bold and magnetic identity to align with the spirit of the competition. Its involvement is expected to be most visible during the Friday Jacuzzi sessions, Saturday night parties, and Arena games, all signature BBNaija events that consistently deliver high-impact visibility and viral social media engagement.
The Tolaram Group is also represented through its brands like Colgate, Indomie, and Power Oil. Last year, Indomie, the household name in instant noodles, reprised its emotionally charged “Mama Do Good” campaign, a standout TVC from last season that tugged on heartstrings while driving brand engagement. Power Oil and Colgate, both strong players in their individual markets return with an emphasis on well-being and self-care, themes that find natural synergy within the context of a confined reality environment. Another returning brand from last year is Munch It, the snack brand that found resonance with BBNaija fans through its positioning as the unofficial snack of the house.
Joining Tolaram Group once again are several returning heavyweights from last year’s edition, including Golden Penny Foods, the legacy food brand under Flour Mills of Nigeria. It returns with the Golden Penny Semovita and new debutant, Golden Penny Pasta. The presence of these products in the BBNaija kitchen is expected to reinforce the brand’s connection to homegrown taste, heritage, and everyday nutrition. The expansion of Golden Penny’s portfolio in the house represents a strategic deepening of engagement with the show’s massive audience.
Also returning as heavyweights are multiple members of the Seven-Up Bottling Company family. Pepsi returns with its proven formula of high-energy performances, celebrity-powered commercials, and engaging brand tasks. Building on the momentum from last season’s campaign featuring stars like Layi Wasabi and Kim Oprah, Pepsi is expected to continue delivering content that blurs the lines between advertisement and entertainment.
Supa Komando, also from the SBC stable, returns with its energetic “Fire On” campaign, which last season featured former housemates Neo Akpofure and Saskay alongside Do2tun. This year, the energy drink brand continues to associate with goal-getters and unrelenting spirit, a tone that aligns perfectly with the competitive nature of the BBNaija house. Aquafina, known for its emotionally resonant “Padi of Life” messaging, is another SBC brand making a strong return, with strategic placement expected during house tasks and communal moments. Mirinda, the orange-flavored carbonated drink under the same umbrella, also returns to add vibrancy and refreshment to the mix, further fortifying SBC’s position as one of the most dominant players in the BBNaija brand space this year.
Arla Foods also maintains its presence in the show through its Dano and Lurpak product lines. While Dano offers daily nourishment in the form of milk, Lurpak brings a premium edge to the BBNaija culinary experience, both reinforcing Arla’s mission of offering wholesome and nutritious dairy products to Nigerian consumers.
Across Categories
In the personal care category, several names return from last year’s edition, including Extract Soap, Premier Cool, Robb, and Lush Hair. These brands are not only fixtures in the house’s grooming routines but have also become key players in brand tasks that center around self-care, beauty, and confidence. Zaron Cosmetics and X7 Skincare also make their return, an indication of their continued interest in engaging a largely youthful and fashion-conscious audience.
Pharmaceutical brand Amatem Soft Gel, known for its popular but bland and colourless TV commercial featuring entertainment icons 2Baba and Chief Zebrudaya, is back as well. The health-focused brand has leveraged BBNaija as a channel for reinforcing the importance of malaria awareness and prevention, a mission it continues with this year. Also back are some of last season’s debutants including Old English which continues its BBNaija journey, representing the bakery and confectionery sector while appealing to consumers’ comfort food preferences and nostalgic connections to quality baked goods that have been part of Nigerian households for generations. Others are Tiger Foods and Checkers Custard. These brands join the show’s culinary narrative, providing ingredients, condiments, and treats that will be embedded in daily meal preparations, brand tasks, and reward systems.
Haier Thermocool and Mouka Foam also return for another round. While Thermocool will likely focus on appliance-based activations that emphasize comfort and innovation, Mouka Foam continues to align its “Good Sleep, Better Life” mantra with sleep-themed tasks and nighttime moments that reinforce its core proposition. Notable too is the return of Innoson Motors, Nigeria’s indigenous automobile manufacturer that has remained consistent with the show. With the winner’s prize including a car, Innoson’s role, as always, is a crucial one. Same goes for travel and lifestyle brand, Travelbeta that has returned for yet another season. After a brief hiatus from the last season, financial brand, HFM also makes a return this year.
New Entrants
Meanwhile, this year’s edition sees the addition of several new entrants, eager to leverage the immense reach and resonance of the BBNaija platform. Among the newcomers is InvestNaija ChapelHillDenham, a finance and investment company focused on engaging Nigeria’s youth on the importance of financial literacy and wealth creation. Other first-time sponsors this season include Addmie Seasoning and Terra Cube. Carex, a hygiene and wellness brand, also debuts this season. As hygiene remains an important theme within shared living spaces, the brand is expected to be integrated into cleaning routines and tasks, amplifying its presence.
Missing Brands
Despite the massive brand turnout this season, there are notable absences compared to last year’s edition. Airtel Nigeria, which last year made a strategic play by promoting both its core telecom services and its fintech arm, Smartcash, is missing from the current lineup. The absence is particularly obvious given the brand’s legacy of memorable campaigns like the “444” TVC and its ability to create cultural moments around communication. As it stands, it appears no telecom brand is on the show this year.
Other missing brands include Viva Detergent, Ashluxe, Tecno Mobile, and BangBet. Ashluxe and Tecno, both youth-oriented brands with high visibility in past editions, are also off the roster, an indication of a possible shift in marketing strategy or sponsorship budget allocations. BangBet, a betting platform that made its debut last season, has been replaced by BetKing, a well-known name in Nigeria’s sports betting ecosystem.
As the house dynamics evolve and the drama continues, the real game behind the scenes is the battle for mindshare among these 37+ brands…some old, some new, and others conspicuously absent. Indeed, BBNaija has over the years evolved into one of the most potent marketing platforms on the continent, offering unmatched reach, daily product engagement, and emotional storytelling that embeds brands into culture.
With over 55 billion media impressions generated in previous seasons and consistent dominance of online conversations, BBNaija remains the gold standard for immersive, high-impact brand marketing in Africa. For housemates, it’s a fight for the grand prize. For brands, it’s a sprint toward relevance, memorability, and market share. And as the show progresses, all eyes will not only be on the contestants but also on the brand strategies that unfold with each task, party, eviction, and victory.
And, your darling Brand Communicator will keep you abreast of brand dynamics, tasks and activations within the Big Brother mansion.