Idol creator launches new multimedia show
Entertainment mogul Simon Fuller, the creator of TV contest American Idol, on Wednesday announced a new, multimedia reality show distributed on the Internet, radio and social networking sites.
Fuller, the man behind the money-spinning Idol pop singing contest, called his If I Can Dream venture a new generation of post-reality entertainment.
Launching in early 2010, it will document the story of five young people who dream of success in Hollywood and will allow fans to interact with them in real time.
Fuller's 19 Entertainment, a subsidiary of CKX Inc, has partnered with online television viewing site Hulu.com, Clear Channel Radio, Newscorp's MySpace, Pepsi and the Ford Motor Co..
Episodes of the show will stream exclusively on Hulu.com, which is jointly owned by News Corp, NBC Universal and Walt Disney Co, while Clear Channel Radio will promote the show on its radio stations and its online and mobile devices.
MySpace will allow fans to interact with the Hollywood hopefuls and audition via video uploads for a part in the show.
PepsiCo and Ford are creating marketing campaigns around the venture, 19 Entertainment said in a statement.
Fuller said the show was tailor made for a younger generation that conducts much of its life via social networking sites, mobile phones, tweets and text messages.
Like American Idol -- the most-watched TV show in the United States -- and the 100 spin-off versions around the world, viewers will play a role in creating potential stars of tomorrow.
'If I Can Dream' experiments with technology to provide for the first time a complete open door opportunity that allows the viewer to experience reality in a way never before attempted, Fuller said in a statement.
Fuller's career also includes managing British pop group The Spice Girls, acting as advisor to soccer player David Beckham, and co-creating the U.S. TV show So You Think You Can Dance.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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