''Idol'' (also known as ''SuperStar'' in some countries) is a reality television singing competition
format created by British television producer
Simon Fuller
Simon Robert Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer. He is the creator of the Idols (franchise), ''Idols'' TV format, including the British series ''Pop Idol'' and the American ser ...
and developed by
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
. The format began in 2001 with the British television series ''
Pop Idol
''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...
''; its first adaptation was the South African series ''
Idols'' in 2002. It has since become the world's most widely watched television franchise, as well as one of the most successful entertainment formats,
adapted in over 56 regions around the world, with its various versions broadcast to 150 countries with a worldwide audience of roughly 3.2 billion people. The franchise has generated more than in revenue.
Each season, the series aims to find the most outstanding unsigned solo recording artist (or "idol") in a region. Originally aimed for pop singers, the series has since evolved to accept singers from different genres of music, such as
rock,
R&B, and
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
. Through a series of mass auditions, a group of finalists are selected by a panel of judges (which usually consists of artists and record producers) who offer critiques on their performances. The finalists then advance to the weekly live shows. On each live show, the contestants all sing, the television audience votes (by telephone,
SMS
Short Message Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile phones exchange short text messages, t ...
Internet, and via apps), and then the contestant who receives the fewest votes gets eliminated. The final episode is the grand finale episode, when usually two, but sometimes three or four, finalists are left, and the contestant who gets the largest number of votes is declared the winner. The winner receives a
recording contract
A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...
, monetary prizes, and a title as their nation's "Idol", "SuperStar" or "Star". Sometimes one or more of the runners-up get recording contracts as well.
The various series have launched the careers of a number of highly successful recording artists around the world, including ''Idol'' winners
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...
of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...
,
Carrie Underwood,
Scotty McCreery
Scott Cooke McCreery (born October 9, 1993) is an American country singer. He rose to fame after winning the tenth season of ''American Idol'' in May 2011.
His debut studio album, '' Clear as Day'', was released in October 2011 and was certifi ...
,
Fantasia,
Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American singer and actor. He rose to fame as the winner of the second season of ''American Idol'' and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recordi ...
,
David Cook, and
Phillip Phillips of the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Kurt Nilsen of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
,
Ryan Malcolm and
Kalan Porter of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer who rose to fame after winning the Australian Idol (season 1), first season of ''Australian Idol'', in 2003. Born in Malaysia and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Sebastian h ...
of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, and
Elvis Blue of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. Contestants who did not win but have still gone on to prominence include
Anthony Callea
Anthony Cosmo Callea (born 13 December 1982) is an Australian singer-songwriter and stage actor who rose to prominence as the runner-up in the 2004 season of ''Australian Idol''. Callea's debut single, a cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli' ...
,
Ricki-Lee Coulter
Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter (born 10 November 1985) is an Australian singer-songwriter, television and radio presenter. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, raised in Gold Coast, Queensland, and began performing at age 15. Coulter rose to fame in ...
and
Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy (; born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the Australian Idol (season 4), fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and s ...
of Australia,
Loreen
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui (born 16 October 1983), known professionally as Loreen (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in Eurovision Song Conte ...
and
Måns Zelmerlöw of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
Jacob Hoggard and
Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
of Canada, and
Clay Aiken,
Chris Daughtry,
Gabby Barrett
Gabby Bernadette Barrett (born March 5, 2000) is an American country music singer and actress. She finished third on the sixteenth season of ''American Idol''. Her debut single " I Hope" was the first top 10 Hot Country Songs debut by an unacc ...
,
Lauren Alaina, and
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his dynamic vocal performances that combine his theatrical training with modern and classic genres. Lambert rose to fame in 2009 after ...
of the United States, among many others. Some ''Idol'' contestants have also achieved success in acting and musical theater such as Melissa O'Neil of Canada, and most notably EGOT winner
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...
of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''.
Origin and background
In 2001, British talent manager and television producer
Simon Fuller
Simon Robert Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer. He is the creator of the Idols (franchise), ''Idols'' TV format, including the British series ''Pop Idol'' and the American ser ...
created the British television series ''
Pop Idol
''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...
''. The series was developed by production company
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
and was broadcast on
ITV on 6 October 2001. Fuller, along with television producer
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe OBE (; born 9 July 1949) is an English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He was the producer of the shows ''Pop Idol'' and ''Ame ...
, was inspired to create the series by the New Zealand television series ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
'', which was adopted in the United Kingdom as ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
'' in January 2001. The
first series
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
of ''Pop Idol'' proved to be more popular than ''Popstars'', in part due to the chemistry of the judges and the success of its first winner
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...
.
''Pop Idol''s success led to an interest for adaptations in other countries. Before selling the format, Fuller reached out for an out-of-court settlement with ''Popstars'' creator Jonathan Dowling, in which international versions of ''Idols'' will be prohibited to use the prefix ''Pop'' in their local titles. As such, South Africa was the first international adaptation under the official franchise name - ''Idols''. ''
Idols'' was first televised on 10 March 2002, one month after the first series of ''Pop Idol'' ended.
Fuller, Lythgoe, and ''Pop Idol'' judge
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
attempted to sell the format in the United States in 2001, but the idea was met with poor response from major networks.
Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of
News Corporation
The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Ru ...
chairman
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
, persuaded her father to buy the rights for an American adaptation. The series, ''
American Idol: The Search for a Superstar'', debuted on the
Fox network on 11 June 2002. ''American Idol'' went on to become the all-time most dominant show in the
U.S. TV ratings, due to the popularity of the judges (particularly Simon Cowell) and its contestants, which were led by its first winner,
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...
.
The success brought by ''American Idol'' led to even more adaptations in other countries, where the Dutch ''
Idols'' became the top television series in the Netherlands during its airing.
There has been a global version of the franchise, called ''
World Idol''. The show was a television special, where winners of national ''Idol'' shows will compete against each other. The special was won by
Kurt Nilsen, a singer from
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. A current World version of ''Idol'' acts as a
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel, called ''Idols Global''. The channel uploads clips of ''Idol'' shows from around the world. The channel currently has over 1 million subscribers. There are many more channels like this. Additionally, many individual ''Idol'' shows have their own YouTube channels.
Concept
The show is a reality television singing competition where the winner is selected by the audience voting. The show combines a number of elements previously used by other shows such as ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
'' – mass auditioning, the search of a new star, and the use of a judging panel that critiques the auditioners' performance and selects the contestants. An important element is audience participation, where the audience may vote by telephone or text to decide which contestant can proceed further each week and ultimately win. According to the show creator, Simon Fuller, "the interactivity was important because this would allow the audience to tell me who they liked best and this, in turn, would indicate to me who would have the most fans and eventually sell the most music and become the biggest stars."
To this is added "the drama of backstories and the real-life soap opera of the unfolding real-time events" as the show is presented as a live competition event which drew "more from a sporting concept of true competition".
Format
Hosts
Each show has at least one host that directs the show, introduces the singers and delivers the results of each episode including the finale. While some countries have one host (
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest is the host of '' Wheel of Fortune'', having hosted since replacing long-time host Pat Sajak in September 2024. Seacrest co-hosted and ser ...
in American Idol,
Boy William in Indonesian Idol (replacing
Daniel Mananta in season 3–10),
Dominic Bowden in New Zealand Idol, ProVerb in Idols SA,
IK Osakioduwa in Nigerian Idol and Phan Anh, Huy Khánh, Duy Hải and Đức Bảo in Vietnam Idol since the third season), most shows have two co-hosts. As well as judges, some countries have adopted new members to the hosting/jury party.
Judges/jury
A preselected panel of
music industry
The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...
representatives tour some, if not all audition cities (depending on which show) to observe and advance those auditioning throughout the show up to and including the Grand Finale. The judges offer
critique
Critique is a method of disciplined, systematic study of a written or oral discourse. Although critique is frequently understood as fault finding and negative judgment, Rodolphe Gasché (2007''The honor of thinking: critique, theory, philosophy ...
s and/or advice after each contestant performance, which can be positive or negative;
''Nouvelle Star 4'' for the first time in any country introduced a red and blue "score card" type system where the jury award a blue "positive" or red "negative" rating and in
''Nouvelle Star 14'', they introduced a scoring system where the jury give a point from a range of 1 to 10 after every mottoshow performance.
As many as five stable jury members have appeared in any one ''Idol'' season (
''Idol Poland 3'',
''Indonesian Idol 9''), though some versions offer "guest judges" or special musical guests on the program to also offer advice.
The judges of some shows gain a lot of popularity outside of the show as well as the contestants, due to their being collectively known to have a "caustic" or raw & blunt attitude towards contestants' performances, notably
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
from
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
and
Pop Idol
''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...
,
Rossa,
Judika,
Bunga Citra Lestari,
Ari Lasso,
Anang Hermansyah,
Agnez Mo,
Ahmad Dhani,
Titi DJ, and
Indra Lesmana from
Indonesian Idol,
Amy Shark
Amy Louise Billings (born 14 May 1986), known professionally as Amy Shark, is an Australian indie pop singer-songwriter-guitarist and producer from the Gold Coast, Queensland. During 2008 to 2012, her early solo material was released and perfo ...
,
Ian "Dicko" Dickson, and
Kyle Sandilands from
Australian Idol ,
Neha Kakkar
Neha Kakkar Singh (; née Kakkar; born 6 June 1988) is an Indian singer. She is the younger sister of playback singers Tony Kakkar and Sonu Kakkar. She began performing at a very early age at religious events. In 2005, she participated in the ...
, and
Sonu Nigam, also
Anu Malik
Anwar Sardar "Anu" Malik (born 2 November 1960) is an Indian music composer, singer, music arranger and score composer. He is the recipient of a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards, who primarily composes music for the Hindi film ...
from
Indian Idol,
Mỹ Tâm and
Maia Estianty in ''
Vietnam Idol'' and ''
Indonesian Idol'' amongst others.
Performance stages
Auditions are held in numerous places in any particular region or country that give most people (audition entry is bound by certain legal requirements such as age and
citizenship
Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state.
Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...
for example) the chance to sing in front of musical/television producers and if successful, they advance to a recorded televised audition where the show "judges" advance up to 300 people in some countries to the next round.
The Theatre round is where a specially selected group of auditioners from all regional auditions converge (always in the host city) to perform in three sub stages: a ''chorus line'' in groups of 10 where free song choices are allowed, a ''
trio'' (or less commonly a duo or quartet) where contestants must memorize a preselected song to perform and choreograph together, and finally a solo ''
a cappella
Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
'' round where contestants sing a song of their own choice without musical backing in front of friends, family, judges & fellow contestants.
Each stage of the theatre round, a number of contestants are eliminated and sent home by the judges, though in some countries there have been very few contestants brought back during the Wildcards show or by the disqualification or resignation of another contestant.
In ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'', this stage was expanded to five stages (three in Hollywood, two in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
) from seasons 10 to 12.
The semi-finals occurs usually live or pre-recorded (in some countries) where contestants sing in a television studio fully televised; again judges give critiques but beginning at this stage, home viewers vote via telephone and
SMS
Short Message Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile phones exchange short text messages, t ...
(and in some countries other voting mechanisms including via Internet or via
Red Button) who they want to stay in the competition. During the "semi-final" weeks, contestants receive a workshop tuition with a vocal coach to prepare their song of choice. The format started out with contestants only singing along to a piano, though other instruments & even a live band have been introduced to some versions.
An average semi-final usually consists of 18 to 50 contestants where they either perform in an even group of contestants (three groups of ten for example) or in a "heat" type semi-final where the contestants sing every week until all finalists have been chosen. During the format, a Wildcards feature was introduced which re-introduced past semi-finalists to receive a second chance to become a finalist, in some shows – the judges sometimes pick one or more contestants to advance as well as the viewers' vote. As of late, live audiences have been incorporated into the semi-final round.
A results show of the semi-finals usually airs either a few hours after the performance show or the night after where the results are given. Three or four contestants are told that they may have received highest votes, though only a selected two or three are put through to the finals.
The Live shows (
a.k.a. Mottoshows, Spectacular shows or theme shows) are an elaborate and spectacular version of the semi-final. There is a weekly theme on which contestants must base their song choices, such as "80s Hits" or "Hits of
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
" for example. In a bid to counter sagging ratings, contestants on ''
Australian Idol
''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Id ...
'' were allowed to bring instruments on stage with them and had the opportunity to sing original material from the 2006 season, a world first. Since then America and Canada have followed Australia's lead. Again a results show follows the show; this time it may include group performances, musical guests or extra footage of the contestants' time on the show. The contestant/s with the lowest polled votes leaves the competition. The live shows continue until there are only two contestants left in the competition or three contestants in some cases.
The Grand Finale occurs when there are two (or, rarely, three and only once so far four) contestants left in the competition. This is the pinnacle of the entire series and often highest rated show; also for some countries, it is venued in a prestigious location (''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'':
Dolby Theatre
The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue (Los Angeles), Highland Avenue, in the Holly ...
/
Nokia Theatre, ''
Canadian Idol'':
John Bassett Theatre, ''
Australian Idol
''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Id ...
'':
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
, ''
Philippine Idol'':
Araneta Coliseum
The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose arena, sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Quezon City#Cubao, Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. ...
, ''
Indonesian Idol'':
Ecovention Ocean Ecopark/
Hall D2 JIExpo/
RCTI+ Studios,
''Idol Sweden'':
Ericsson Globe
Avicii Arena, originally known as the Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as the Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish language, Swedish simply as Globen (; ), is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov dist ...
, ''
Singapore Idol'':
Singapore Indoor Stadium
The Singapore Indoor Stadium, known exonymously as the Indoor Stadium, is an indoor arena located in Kallang, Singapore. It is within walking distance of the Singapore National Stadium, and collectively form a part of the wider Singapore S ...
). In this final stage a specially awarded song is sung by both remaining contestants which is ultimately slated to be released as the winner's debut
single though recently in some countries this has been phased out.
During the extended results show, there are usually group performances and/or special musical guests. Also, it has the best moments of the series which leads up to the announcement of the winner, which is determined by the highest number of votes. When that happens, he or she will perform an encore of the coronation single which sometimes includes
pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating fireworks, but also includes safety matches, oxygen candles, Pyrotechnic fastener, explosive bolts (and other fasteners), parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, q ...
/
fireworks
Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
.
While the show's premise is to find one winner with promises of a recording deal and other frugal benefits, the Idol series often has several contestants who go onto the same route of fame, whether they be finalists, semi-finalists, or even auditioners. Key examples of this from ''American Idol'' include
Clay Aiken (second place,
season 2) and
Chris Daughtry (fourth place,
season 5, through his band
Daughtry), who have each
outsold all ''American Idol'' winners except
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...
and
Carrie Underwood;
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...
(seventh place,
season 3), who would later win the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...
; and
William Hung, who turned his off-key season 3 audition into a recording career and has outsold some finalists.
Releases
Often, a studio
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
and/or a CD single is made to promote the show. In some cases, DVDs of highlights of the show will be released. While these releases have sold well in countries including the United States and Australia, many countries did not release CDs after the first series.
Since
season 6, ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' has sold only promotional downloads instead of CDs. For season 6, it sold studio-recorded MP3 and performance video downloads of the finalists on its website; no CDs were sold prior to the post-''Idol'' releases of winner
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...
and runner-up
Blake Lewis. For
season 7, audio and video downloads are sold exclusively through the
iTunes Store, which became a sponsor in that season; the iTunes downloads have included audio of all semi-finalist performances, studio recordings and performance videos for all finalists, videos of finalist group performances, and audio and video performances from the ''
Idol Gives Back
''Idol Gives Back'' was a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of ''American Idol'' during its sixth season. A second ''Idol Gives Back'' concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the show. ''Idol ...
'' episode.
Media/sponsorship
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
is the general record company associated and affiliated with the Idols format in most countries, though countries like
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
and
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
have affiliate labels as they do not have a local Sony Music subsidiary. FremantleMedia and Sony Music were related through common parent
Bertelsmann
The Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Bertelsmann (), is a German privately held company, private multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, ...
, which owns 90.4% of FremantleMedia's immediate parent
RTL Group
RTL Group S.A. ("Radio Télévision Luxembourg") is a Luxembourg-based international media conglomerate, with another corporate office in Cologne, Germany. The company operates 56 television channels and 36 radio stations in Germany, France an ...
and previously owned 50% of joint venture
Sony BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
from 2004 to 2008. Since 2011,
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
replaced
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
as the general record company associated and affiliated with the Idols format in most countries.
''Idols'' around the world
International versions
: Currently airing franchise
: Franchise with an upcoming season
: Franchise not currently airing
Winner competitions
Themes
A notable commonality among Idol-format shows is the theme logo & intro style.
Many different versions of the Idol logo and show intro have been created since Idol's inception in June 2001.
Logo
The basic plan for the logo is an oval with the particular show's name centered in custom lettering based on a common font (
Kaufmann
Kaufmann is a surname with many variants such as Kauffmann, Kaufman, and Kauffman. In German, the name means ''merchant''. It is the cognate of the English '' Chapman'' (which had a similar meaning in the Middle Ages, though it disappeared from ...
). Mostly the name of the show is written horizontally, however occasionally part of the name is angled upwards.
The original ''Pop Idol'' logo featured an enhanced star in the logo. The star also appeared briefly on the ''American Idol'' logo, but was scrapped early in the
Season 1 auditions.
The logo for some countries comes with an underline on the words SuperStar, or Idol, such as ''
Deutschland sucht den Superstar
''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (''DSDS''; "Germany is looking for the Superstar") is a German reality talent show. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it was created by British media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show ''P ...
'', ''
Hrvatski Idol
''Hrvatski Idol'' is the Croatian version of '' Pop Idol''. There have been two seasons of Hrvatski Idol. The first one was won by Žanamari Lalić who received 54% of the vote in the final night. Patrick Jurdić won the second season with 50.2 ...
'', Hrvatska traži zvijezdu,
''SuperStar Hrvatska'',
''SuperStar Arab'', ''
(Česko Slovenská) SuperStar'', ''
Hay Superstar
Hay Superstar/Hye Superstar (, literally "Armenian Superstar") was the Armenian version of the British television hit show ''Pop Idol'', part of the Idol (franchise), Idol franchise. It is a talent contest to find the best young singer in Armenia. ...
'', ''
Nouvelle Star
''Nouvelle Star'' (; also known as '' À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star'' for the first season) is a French television series based on the popular Pop Idol programme produced by FremantleMedia. It was broadcast by M6 in seasons 1–8 befor ...
'' (until 2017), ''
Idol Puerto Rico'', ''Idol Kids Puerto Rico'', ''
Nepal Idol'', ''
Narodniy Artist'', ''
SuperStar România'', ''
Super Idol'', ''
Bangladeshi Idol'', ''Idol Colombia'', ''Ídolos Kids Brasil'', ''Cambodian Idol Junior'', ''
Indian Idol Junior'', ''
Indonesian Idol Junior'' and ''
Pinoy Idol'' (which also has a raised word). ''
Türkstar'' has the only Idol logo not to use the common font style. As part of a relaunch after the first season, the French ''Nouvelle Star'' logo was changed to purple, and their name was shortened. They are the only logo to depart from the standard blue palette until the fifth season of
''SuperStar Arab'' changed to the same color scheme as well. Several versions such as
Vietnam Idol and
Chinese Idol
The C-pop, Chinese pop music industry has a growing trend of idols and idol groups, who are entertainers manufactured and marketed for their image and attractiveness. Idols are primarily singers (either as members of a group or as solo acts), ...
have both English and local language titles shown in their logos.
'Intro' sequence
Since the series debuted in 2001, this franchise has seen many variations of the opening intro. From its first creation 'Idolatry' in 2001 to its latest creation 'Hall of Idols 3.0' in 2023. Each show had its own version of the opening title from having a video length of the standard 30–35 seconds to some that even lasted as long as 5–10 seconds. The majority of the countries used the same intros at the same time and length of their release. While other franchises kept the older intros for a longer time or made their own versions. Here are some of the intros the series has seen over the years.
Idolatry (2001–2006)
The original version of the ''Idol'' intro was created by Liquid TV Graphics in London which started with the dark blue Idol logo descending on the screen. A
CGI human figure appears, with arms raised, intended to be the 'Idol' of the show's name. While the Idol figure sings and then walks. Images of guitars, microphones, cameras, and airplanes flow by, representing the life of a superstar. During this, the gender of the figure alternates between male and female. Finally, the figure is again in front of the Idol logo, raising hands in victory. ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' altered their logo in seasons 2–3, as well as displaying famous national landmarks in the first scene. They added new sound effects and replaced the jet airplanes with waving flags. The landmark and flag concepts were also used for ''
Indian Idol'' and ''
World Idol''.
Tunnel (2005–2012)
In 2005, a new version of the ''Idol'' intro was created by Aerodrome Pictures in Los Angeles which first appeared on the
Season 4 premiere of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''. The intro starts with the ''Idol'' logo without the dark blue background spinning in the American and Canadian versions while the other Idol formats have their logo glow and sparkle, next the logo zooms in featuring a long section of the CGI ''Idol'' figure riding an open elevator past large vertical screens and displays and then walking down a stylized tunnel to a stage, where the figure starts to perform. On this basic template, the American and Canadian versions are customized, with past ''Idol'' winners appearing on the screens in the American version, while the Canadian version's screens feature Canadian
landmarks. The American & Canadian versions last for 30 seconds; the other ''Idol'' shows only lasts 15 seconds, with no customization and instead of the logo being 'stuck down' to the outside of the tunnel, it is pasted over the top. Also, the intro sequence for Nouvelle Star has a purple and blue color scheme instead of the standard light blue/light green.
Gyroscope (2008–2016, 2021-present)
In 2008, a new version of the ''Idol'' intro was created and introduced by BLT & Associates in Los Angeles on the
''American Idol'' 7th season finals. The intro starts with the Idol logo spinning behind a gyroscope then features real male and female Idol figures passing horizontal and arc displays then walking to an arena where the two figures start to perform. Finally, only one figure raises his/her hands in victory in front of a huge arc display and then zooms out to the atmosphere and to space, where the title of the show zooms out in front of planet Earth. The ending title of this intro is similar to the
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
logo of 1990 (for the starry background) and in 2012 (for the earth model). The American, Australian, Canadian, Croatian, Latin American, and Swedish versions are customized by featuring their past Idol winners in the horizontal and arc displays and last for 30 seconds. However, Sweden's version only displayed their former Idol winners in 2010. They also displayed their 2 remaining finalists in the intro for their 2009 finale. Other versions are also customized and last for 30 seconds without featuring their past winners. The French version lasts for 20 seconds and Norway's version in 2016 lasted 4 seconds. Some countries didn't use the Gyroscope theme, like India and Germany. India used the Tunnel theme from 2005 to 2010. But in 2012, they switched to using the 'Hall of Idols' theme. Meanwhile, Germany used the 'Tunnel' theme from 2005 to 2012. From 2013 to 2021, the German version used its own intro in place of the 'Gyroscope' and 'Hall of Idols' intros called "New Idol". Since 2021, Nigerian Idol has reverted to this opening title for their revival on Africa Magic.
Hall of Idols (2011–present)
In 2011, a new version of the ''Idol'' intro was created once again by Aerodrome Pictures in Los Angeles which first appeared on the
Season 10 premiere of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''. The intro starts with a stage being spotted under a spotlight from the sky. Then, a stylized bridge leading towards a screen is shown. Winners of ''Idol'', as well as notable alumni from past seasons are shown on the screen. The camera turns to a
pyramid
A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...
-like shape blooming and a CGI figure appears. Depending on the figure's gender in the intro, the figure would yield a different action in front of the ''American Idol'' logo and the huge "IDOL" word string (in ''American Idol'' and ''Indonesian Idol'' (not shown anymore since
Season 9)). ''Indonesian Idol'' is one of the remaining Idol franchise that stil use this opening sequence. The male figure raises his hand in victory and strikes a pose while the female figure raises her arms in victory before bowing down. ''American Idol'' switched between the male and female CGI figures. While most franchises that used this intro always had the male figure. However, ''Arab Idol'', ''Kurd Idol'' and ''Iraq Idol'' always used the female figure. Vietnam Idol started using the Hall of Idols intro in Season 5, the old logo was replaced by a new one titled "Thần tượng Âm nhạc Việt Nam".
New Idol (2013–2021)
In 2013, a new version of the ''Idol'' Intro was created on the
Season 10 premiere of ''
Deutschland sucht den Superstar
''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (''DSDS''; "Germany is looking for the Superstar") is a German reality talent show. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it was created by British media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show ''P ...
''. The new intro begins with a mysterious person with a microphone at the mouth. As previous posting Intro male and female talents are displayed. They sing and dance on the big stage. In the meantime, always a person who appears followed a path. On that path along former candidates from earlier seasons are displayed on screens.
Gyroscope 2.0 (2014-2023)
In 2014, a new version of the ''Idol'' intro was created by The Mill in Los Angeles which first appeared on the
Season 13 premiere of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''. The intro starts with a hole opening up. Then, the gyroscope logo comes out of the hole. A crowd cheers surroding the stage. Finally, the gyroscope logo appears with the Roman numerals "XIII" below the logo for the American version. The intro was also used in the South African version of Idol also starting in 2014 until their cancellation in 2023.
Idol on Street (2015)
In 2015, a new version of the ''Idol'' intro was created by Trollbäck + Company and appeared on the
Season 14 premiere of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''. It starts by zooming out of a microphone on a mic stand with a spotlight coming out of it. Next you see a female CGI figure singing into the microphone on a city street with multiple microphones having spotlights come out of them. The female figure is also in front of a sunset while having other CGI figures dancing and watching the singer perform from the sidewalks. Next it cuts to an American Idol tour bus driving on the road with a line of microphones having spotlights come out of them next to the bus while having a male CGI figure in the sunset singing into the microphone. Then it cuts to a big hill with more microphones with spotlights and 4 CGI figures appear with 3 of them singing and 1 playing guitar. Finally it zooms out of another microphone with a spotlight with another CGI figure singing as the American Idol and the huge American Idol logo is titled to the left with the roman numerals "XIV" on the bottom right corner of the logo. The CGI figure at the end will also switch between a male and female figure. However, in the season finale, the intro featured the 2 remaining finalists as the CGI figures.
The Farewell of Idol (2016)
In 2016, a new version of the ''Idol'' intro was created by Spencer Tucker and appeared on the
Season 15 premiere of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''. It starts by zooming into the American Idol logo which is surrounded by names of previous Idol contestants throughout the years. On the season premiere, it started the same and then had a montage of the previous intros that they used in reverse. They used the same intro concept on the season finale and didn't reverse the montage.
Hall of Idols 2.0 (2016–2017)
In 2016, a new version of the ''Idol'' intro was created and appeared on the Season 5 premiere of ''Idols'' in The Netherlands. It starts by panning around city buildings surrounding a stage with light beams popping out of the spotlights, then it cuts to a sign that will say the current stage of the competition. Next it cuts to a building showing the map of the country and another building showing the judges desk while the camera turns to the left and moves up. Finally, you will see a spotlight in the middle of the stage appearing with the Idols logo appearing with a female CGI figure singing as the Idol and an audience watching the Idol perform.
Shooting Star Idol (2018-present)
''American Idol''s revival on
ABC was accompanied with a Disney-like intro starting with their Season 16 premiere. Which was created by Spencer Tucker and Rami Hachache. Possible Productions were added to the credits for seasons 18 and 19 only. It starts with several shooting stars falling from the sky before curving up and circling the neon American Idol logo with fireworks in the background at the end. This opening is much shorter than in previous years. It acts as an integrated part of a longer opening introduction in each episode rather than a standalone opening theme as in previous seasons.
''Ídolos'' (Portugal) used this intro in 2022 for their revival on SIC. ''
Australian Idol
''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Id ...
'' also used this opening title for their revival starting in 2023 on
7 and
7+. ''
Deutschland sucht den Superstar
''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (''DSDS''; "Germany is looking for the Superstar") is a German reality talent show. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it was created by British media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show ''P ...
'' had a similar version of this intro in 2022, but they used a blue background with shooting stars.
20th Anniversary Idol (2022)
''American Idol''s 20th season brought in a new intro which appeared on the season finale, created by The Other House in Los Angeles. It starts with a closeup of the logo at the top of the 2 in '20' and tracing itself with gold lines as the camera pans to the right. Next, you will see the middle of 2 and 0 panning to the bottom left of the logo. Then you'll notice the left half of the logo while it pans to the right. Finally, the camera comes in from the bottom right corner and you'll see the entire logo and then it zooms into the middle of the logo and cuts to the studio.
Transparent Idol (2023-present)
''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' brought in a new intro which appeared on the twenty-first-season premiere. This time it was transparent. Once again created by The Other House in Los Angeles. There are 2 versions of this opening title. The first one starts with the logo appearing vertically from behind the camera and the word 'American' comes in on top of the word 'Idol' facing the left side of the screen and turns to the right as it comes in. The world 'Idol' comes in under the word 'American' and is slightly turned to the right but turns itself to the left as it forms the logo. Finally the logo faces slightly towards the left side of the screen and stays in position. The second version only has the logo coming in the frame horizontally and facing up. Next it comes down as the logo moves into the frame. Finally you'll see the whole logo sitting still in the frame.
Hall of Idols 3.0 (2023–present)
In 2023, a new version of the ''Idol'' intro was created. It appeared on ''
Vietnam Idol'' Season 8 revival, which was the remake of the original Hall of Idol intro with some differences such as the opening which became shorter, similar to 2018 ABC's Idol intro, different background color and the opening uses an English title (Vietnam Idol) instead of its traditional Vietnamese title "Thần tượng Âm nhạc Việt Nam" which was used from Seasons 5–7.
In popular culture
* ''
American Dreamz'' – a
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
film, a satire on pop entertainment, including ''American Idol''
* ''
From Justin to Kelly'' – a
20th Century Studios
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
film, starring
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...
and
Justin Guarini, winner and runner-up of
''American Idol'' 2002
* ''
Instant Star'' – a Canadian television series, following the life of a winner of a singing contest
* ''
Realiti'' – a Malaysian television series, features the lives and secrets of contestants of a fictional reality TV singing competition
* ''Vina Bilang Cinta'' (Vina Says Love) – an Indonesian film, starring ''
Indonesian Idol'' 2004 runner-up
Delon Thamrin
* ''
Idolos de Juventud'' – a
Telemundo
Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...
television series, following the lives of the contestants and promoters of a fictional reality TV singing competition
* ''
Rock Rivals
''Rock Rivals'' is a British television drama series following the lives of two celebrity judges on an '' X Factor'' style show as their marriage falls apart. It was produced by Shed Productions, the company behind '' Footballers' Wives'', '' B ...
'' – British drama series on
ITV, based on a fictional ''Pop Idol''–style show.
* ''
Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice'' – British spoof of ''Pop Idol'' / ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'' by comedian
Peter Kay, screened on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
, featuring the original ''Pop Idol'' judging panel (minus Simon Cowell).
* ''Táo Idol/Gặp nhau cuối năm 2011'' – ''Gặp nhau cuối năm'' is an annual comedy produced by
Vietnam Television
Vietnam Television (), operating under its official abbreviation VTV, is the State media, national television broadcaster of Vietnam. As the state broadcaster under the direction of under the Government of Vietnam, VTV is tasked with "propaga ...
. In 2011, the show was partially based on the format of Idol and
Top Model series. It also has its own Idol's Tunnel intro ''with the Táo Idol'' logo without the dark blue background spinning similar to the American Idol and Canadian Idol's Tunnel intro.
See also
*
List of television show franchises
The following is a list of international television shows media franchise, franchises. These are shows remake, remade for foreign markets rather than adaptations.
Reality shows
* ''10 Years Younger (UK), 10 Years Younger''
* ''30 Seconds to Fa ...
Notes and references
Notes
# Citizens of Macedonia were eligible to participate in the third season.
# Citizens of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are eligible to participate throughout the series.
# Citizens of Wallonia and Québec were eligible to participate in the first season.
# Citizens of Austria and Switzerland are eligible to participate throughout the series.
# Citizens of Cyprus were eligible to participate in ''Super Idol''.
# Citizens of Belarus and Ukraine were eligible to participate in the first and second season.
# Citizens of Puerto Rico were eligible to participate in the eighth season.
# Countries whose citizens were eligible to participate include all the
member states of the Arab League
The Arab League has 22 member states. It was founded in Cairo in March 1945 with seven members: the Kingdom of Egypt, the Kingdom of Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Republic, Transjordan (Jordan from 1949), and North Yemen (later beco ...
.
# Countries whose citizens were eligible to participate include: Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Réunion (a part of France), Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
# Countries whose citizens were eligible to participate include all of the Latin American countries, with the exception of Brazil.
# Countries whose citizens were eligible to participate include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
# Winners of ''Indian Idol'', ''Indonesian Idol'', ''Malaysian Idol'', ''Philippine Idol'', ''Singapore Idol'', ''SuperStar KZ'', and ''Vietnam Idol'' participated in ''Asian Idol'', in which the winner was determined the greatest percentage of votes.
# Winners of inaugural seasons of ''American Idol'', ''Australian Idol'', ''Canadian Idol'', ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', ''Idool'', ''Idols'' (Dutch version), ''Idols'' (South African version), ''Idol'' (Polish version), ''Idol'' (Norwegian version), ''Pop Idol'', and ''SuperStar'' (Arab version) participated in ''World Idol'', in which the winner was determined by the most collective points given by each of the other participating countries (similar to the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
).
References
{{Sony franchises
Singing talent shows franchises
Sony Pictures franchises
Sony Pictures Television franchises