Australian Idol

Australian Idol is the Australian version of the British TV hit show Pop Idol. It is a talent contest to find a pop performer and is hosted by Andrew G and James Mathison. The first series started on July 27th, 2003, and finished on November 19. The winner was Guy Sebastian, with runners up Shannon Noll (2nd) and Cosima De Vito (3rd). The 2004 season saw Casey Donovan win ahead of Anthony Callea (2nd) and Courtney Murphy (3rd).

First series (2003)

Australian Idol was produced by Fremantle Media subsidiary Grundy Television in association with UK company 19TV. The first series was broadcast on Network Ten for 19 weeks in the latter half of 2003.

Related Topics:
Fremantle Media - Grundy Television - 19TV - Network Ten

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Australian Idol quickly became one of the most popular shows on Australian television, the final between Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll being the most popular show broadcast on Australian television in 2003. Channel Ten paid $15 million for the series but this investment was repaid when the station that had perenially been the #3 network became the #2 network towards the end of 2003 and cemented the network as the #1 station in its target demographic, the under 40's. This success meant that the station could charge advertisers more for commercials broadcast on the network.

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The success of the series prompted the Seven Network to commission a rival series Popstars Live in the first half of 2004. However, this series was not a success. The success of Australian Idol and the first series of The Block on the Nine Network prompted networks including the Ten Network to invest in new reality series that were not as successful, such as The Resort and The Hothouse, which led to large losses by the relevant network.

Related Topics:
Seven Network - Popstars Live - The Block - Nine Network - The Resort - The Hothouse

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