Star Academy

Star Academy is a highly successful television show format produced by Endemol, that has been broadcast in over 50 countries. It is a pop music talent contest with viewer voting and reality show elements.

Format

There are many versions of the "Star Academy" show, each country having its own slight variations, but the basic concept remains the same: contestants live in a boarding-school called "The Academy", managed by a director, and various teachers coach them in several artistic disciplines. The participants are filmed with cameras throughout the day and night (an idea borrowed from another of Endemol's major reality shows "Big Brother"). Once a week, the contestants have to face a prime time show, where they sing the song they've prepared during the week before, as well as recapping their trials and tribulations at The Academy from the past week. The live show will often feature special guest stars, with whom some of the contestants have the opportunity to sing. Based on the judges' verdicts and viewer voting, the weakest contestant is dropped. The eventual winner is awarded a record deal and usually some amount of money.

History

The "Star Academy" concept belongs to the Spanish production company Gestmusic, a Spanish branch of Endemol. The first country to broadcast the format, however, was France on October 20th, 2001. Two days later, "Operación Triunfo", as the show is called in Spanish speaking countries, went on the air in Spain.

From then on the "Star Academy" phenomenon began to spread in an unstoppable way, being impelled by the sweeping success of the contest in major media markets like France or Russia.

Nowadays, "Star Academy" is the second most expanded reality show, just behind "Big Brother", and has reached markets as different as India, the Arab World and the United States, becoming the first Spanish format ever acquired by these countries. This show is similar to the "Idol Series" but different in that it also shows the contestants' lives together in the house where they live; American Idol shows nothing of the contestants' personalities or relationships with each other. Star Academy is in essence a singing competition, where the lowest vote-receiver each week must leave the show, ending finally when only one person remains.

Star Academy around the world

"Gala de los ganadores" (The winners gala)

WORLDBEST

ee also

*List of television show franchises
*American Idol
*Australian Idol
*Making The Band

Near copies of "Star Academy"

*Fame Factory
**Países: "Lithuania, Norway and Sweden."

*La Academia
**Países: "Indonesia (Akademi Fantasi Indosiar), Malaysia (Akademi Fantasia), Mexico (La Academia), Thailand (Academy Fantasia) and The United States (La Academia USA)."

*Dream Show, the music: "Greece."

*Amici di Maria De Filippi: "Italy."

*Showtime: "Croatia."

*Showvival: "Korea South."

*One Million Star: "Taiwan."

*The X Factor

*Protagonistas de la Música: "Chile and USA."