American Idol Set to Return to Asia First on Sony Channel March 12 Express from the US
Global Music Sensations Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan Take the Judges’ Hot Seats
American Idol, the iconic, genre-defining music reality series, returns to Asia at its new home on Sony Channel on Monday, March 12. Featuring superstar judges Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan, the season will take viewers on a mesmerizing musical journey to discover America’s next singing sensation. Emmy award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest will return as the host of the renowned series.
“American Idol is a series that truly revolutionized the TV landscape and pioneered the music competition genre. The sizzling new series makes its home on Sony Channel for the first time and is sure to captivate audiences across the region with its breadth of talent, musical variety and witty banter, courtesy of the three dynamic judges,” said Virginia Lim, Senior Vice President and Head of Content, Production and Marketing, Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia.
The nationwide search for the next superstar kicked off in August 2017, as the American Idol Bus travelled across the U.S.A covering 23 cities. Auditioning was made easier than ever as hopefuls also had the opportunity to submit audition videos online, as well as via select social platforms using an official tag #TheNextIdol, cultivating over 300,000 posts. Also, for the first time in American Idol history, hopefuls could audition through a live stream platform.
American Idol premieres on Sony Channel (unifi TV CH 614) within 12-hours of its U.S. telecast on Monday, March 12 at 6:00pm. American Idol airs every Monday and Tuesday at 6.00pm, with same night encore at 9.45pm.
American Idol is produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group. Executive producers include FremantleMedia North America’s Trish Kinane and Jennifer Mullin, along with co-executive Megan Wolflick.