Idols (also known as the SuperStar in other countries) is a reality television singing competition format created by British television producer Simon Fuller and developed by Fremantle. The format began in 2001 with the British television series Pop Idol; its first adaptation was the Polish series Idol 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 46 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 $2.5 billion 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. 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 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, 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 Idols winners Will Young of the United Kingdom, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, David Cook, and Phillip Phillips of the United States. Kurt Nilsen who won in Norway. Ryan Malcolm and Kalan Porter who won in Canada. Guy Sebastian of Australia, and Elvis Blue of South Africa. Contestants who did not win but have still gone on to prominence include Anthony Callea, Ricki-Lee Coulter, and Jessica Mauboy, of Australia, Carly Rae Jepsen, of Canada, and Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, Gabby Barrett, Lauren Alaina, and Adam Lambert of the United States, among many others. Some Idols contestants have also achieved success in acting and musical theater, most notably Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson of American Idol.
International versions[]
Adult editions[]
| Country | Local title | Network |
|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Algerie Idol | Al Dar Algerie |
| Arab World | سوبر ستار SuperStar | Current: Al-Dar 1 Former: Future TV |
| Arab Idol | MBC 1, Al Jadeed | |
| Armenia | Hay Superstar | Shant TV |
| Australia | Australian Idol | Current: Seven Network Former: Network Ten |
| Bangladesh | Bangladeshi Idol | SA TV |
| Belgium | Idool | VTM |
| Brazil | Ídolos | SBT, RecordTV |
| Bulgaria | Music Idol | bTV |
| Cambodia | Cambodian Idol | Hang Meas HDTV |
| Canada | Canadian Idol | CTV |
| China | 中国梦之声 Chinese Idol | Dragon TV |
| Colombia | Idol Colombia | RCN Televisión |
| Croatia | Hrvatski Idol | Nova TV |
| Hrvatska traži zvijezdu | RTL | |
| Czech Republic | Česko hledá SuperStar | TV Nova |
| Czech Republic Slovakia |
Current: SuperStar Former: Česko Slovenská SuperStar |
TV Nova, Markíza |
| Denmark | Idols | TV3 |
| East Africa | Idols | DStv |
| Estonia | Eesti otsib superstaari | TV3 |
| Finland | Idols | MTV3 |
| France | Current: Nouvelle Star Former: A la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star |
M6, D8 |
| Georgia | ჯეოსტარი Geostar |
Rustavi 2 |
| Germany | Deutschland sucht den Superstar | RTL Television |
| Greece | Super Idol | Mega TV |
| Greek Idol | Alpha TV | |
| Iceland | Idol stjörnuleit | Stöð 2 |
| India | Indian Idol | Sony Entertainment Television |
| Indonesia | Indonesian Idol | RCTI |
| Iraq | Iraq Idol | MBC Iraq |
| Israel | כוכב נולד A Star Has Been Born |
Channel 2 |
| Italy | Italian Idol | Rai 2 |
| Japan | Idol Japan | TBS |
| Kazakhstan | SuperStar KZ | Channel One Eurasia |
| Kurdistan | Kurd Idol | Kurdsat |
| Latin America | Latin American Idol | Sony Channel |
| Malaysia | Malaysian Idol | 8TV, TV3 |
| Maldives | Maldivian Idol | Television Maldives |
| Myanmar | Myanmar Idol | Myanmar National TV, Channel 9 |
| Nepal | Nepal Idol | AP1 TV |
| Netherlands | Idols | RTL 4 |
| New Zealand | NZ Idol | TV2 |
| Nigeria | Nigerian Idol | various |
| North Macedonia | Macedonian Idol | A1 |
| Norway | Idol | TV 2 |
| Pakistan | Pakistan Idol | Geo Entertainment |
| Philippines | Philippine Idol | ABC |
| Pinoy Idol | GMA Network | |
| Idol Philippines | ABS-CBN, Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5 | |
| Poland | Idol | Polsat |
| Portugal | Ídolos | SIC |
| Puerto Rico | Idol Puerto Rico | WAPA-TV |
| Romania | SuperStar România | Pro TV |
| Russia | Народный Артис People's Artist |
Russia-1 |
| Serbia and Montenegro North Macedonia |
Idol | RTV BK Telecom |
| Singapore | Singapore Idol | MediaCorp Channel 5 |
| Slovakia | Slovensko hľadá SuperStar | STV, Markíza |
| South Africa (English) | Idols | M-Net |
| South Africa (Afrikaans) | Idols | kykNET |
| Sweden | Idol | TV4 |
| Turkey | Popstar Türkiye | Kanal D |
| Türkstar | Show TV | |
| United Kingdom | Pop Idol | ITV |
| United States | American Idol | Current: ABC Former: Fox |
| Vietnam | Vietnam Idol | HTV, VTV |
| West Africa | Idols | M-Net |
Kids editions[]
| Country | Local title | Network |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Ídolos Kids | RecordTV |
| Germany | Deutschland sucht den Superstar Kids | RTL Television |
| India | Indian Idol Junior | Sony Entertainment Television |
| Indonesia | Indonesian Idol Junior | MNCTV, RCTI |
| Norway | Idol Junior | TV 2 |
| Portugal | Ídolos Kids | SIC |
| Puerto Rico | Idol Kids Puerto Rico | WAPA-TV |
| Spain | Idol Kids | Telecinco |
| United States | American Juniors | Fox |
Winner competitions[]
| Country | Local title | Network |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | Asian Idol | RCTI, Sony Entertainment Television, 8TV, ABC, MediaCorp Channel 5, HTV9 |
| Worldwide | World Idol | Future TV, Network Ten, VTM, CTV, RTL Television, RTL 4, TV 2, Polsat, M-Net, ITV, Fox |