Following the recent announcement that Sweden is to be the 30th country to
launch its own local Idols series, a number of broadcasters have signed
up for second series in northern and eastern Europe including Serbian commercial
broadcaster RTV BK Telecom, TV3 in Denmark and TV2 in Iceland.
In Denmark, the debut episode of Idols – Ærlig jagt. Ægte talent
launched in September 2003 to ratings 250% higher than the broadcaster’s average.
Iceland’s Idols – Stjörnuleit also launched in September 2003 where the
number of votes received during the series were three times that of the
population.
RTV BK Telecom has ordered a second series extending its talent search to
Bosnia and Macedonia. The popular first series of Idol launched in
October 2003 in Serbia and Montenegro and saw ratings build to 230% above the
broadcaster’s slot average. Anastasia sound-alike Cveta has enjoyed fame and
fortune since winning the Serbia/Montenegro Idol crown in March. She
is the first Serbian national to release a single – the country does not have a
singles chart - and her debut album is due to launch this autumn. The show’s
audience built by 116% during the first series, peaking at 33% for the final
live performance show.
Latest international Idols successes include the culmination of the
third American Idol series on 26th May which saw an unprecedented 65
million votes recorded for the final episode on FOX. Winner, Fantasia Barrino,
went on to become the first debut artist in America’s history to go straight to
No.1 in the Billboard Chart with a debut single.
Croatia’s first local series, Hrvatski Idol, became the second most
popular show on Nova TV after the final episode, which aired 5th June, delivered
28% of the viewing audience, 119% above the channel’s primetime average share.
This success was swiftly followed on 20th June by the Czech Republic’s first
local series, Cesko hleda Superstar, which goes down in Idols
history as the highest rating local series to date having achieved a massive 93%
market share within its target audience for the final live results show.
Sue Green, Managing Director, Nordic & Central Europe, comments: “The interest
in Idols is far from waning after over three years of international
rollout. These recent commissions indicate that there is still an appetite for
the format . I’m delighted that the success of Idols in Serbia and
Montenegro has led BK to extend its talent search this time around. It means
that this new series will be even more reflective of the region’s very special
and unique culture and that it will be enjoyed by many more viewers in the
Balkans. I look forward to working closely with BK Telecom to ensure a second
successful series.”
