The search for an Asian Idol: The performance of regional identity in reality television

Abstract

This article examines the prolific international adaptation of reality television programmes in Asia through the Asian Idol phenomenon. For the first time in Asia, a regional song contest, Asian Idol, is held in Jakarta, Indonesia organized in the Pop Idol format. As the Idol series is a longstanding television hit across many Asian countries, Asian Idol can be seen as a test of the format’s transferability to another cultural environment. More interestingly, it can be seen as a professed ‘search’ or more accurately, a ‘performance’ of possible regional identities. Telecast over three nights and going live through television production deals across the six participating countries, two questions arise. Does Asian Idol perhaps hope to herald or take advantage of a form of growing pan-regional celebritism? In adopting a new innovative system of interactive voting and building an online forum for the show, what form of Asian identity did it hope to produce or ‘find’ through this production? This article examines these cultural issues and considers the primary role television may still play as the nationalized platform for cultivating such regional exhibitions.

From Eurovision to Asiavision: the Eurovision Asia Song Contest and negotiation of Australia’s cultural identities

“…Asian Idol was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in December 2007 and was the first regional reality song competition to be held in Asia. This competition may also be ‘the first instance of a live television entertainment programme simultaneously broadcast to a regional audience’ (Tay, 2011: 323–324). Asian Idol was broadcast live to an estimated 300 million viewers across the region (Tay, 2011: 323–324).…”

“…This competition may also be ‘the first instance of a live television entertainment programme simultaneously broadcast to a regional audience’ (Tay, 2011: 323–324). Asian Idol was broadcast live to an estimated 300 million viewers across the region (Tay, 2011: 323–324). The contest was organised by global media company, Fremantle Media, and Indonesian broadcaster, RCTI.…”

“…The franchise is based on United Kingdom’s Pop Idol which started in 2001 and has since been adapted in over 35 countries with American Idol being the most popular globally. This regional competition was therefore made possible by using existing Idol programmes in the region as a base and drawing on a format likely to receive regional and financial support (Tay, 2011: 324, 326). Asian Idol illustrates ‘regional connectedness and community’ not just in the participants but in the production team as well, where the crew was made up of people from Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Australia (Tay, 2011: 328).…”

“…This regional competition was therefore made possible by using existing Idol programmes in the region as a base and drawing on a format likely to receive regional and financial support (Tay, 2011: 324, 326). Asian Idol illustrates ‘regional connectedness and community’ not just in the participants but in the production team as well, where the crew was made up of people from Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Australia (Tay, 2011: 328). While not competing in Asian Idol , Australia(ns) played a significant part in this event.…”

Mass media and the localization of emotional display: The case of China’s Next Top Model

“…Other scholars have described the hybrid nature of localized reality television show texts, arguing that they contain both formatted and local elements (Frau-Meigs, 2006;Roscoe, 2004;Tay, 2011). Some of these studies suggest that culturally specific emotional display is one element that makes shows locally distinct (Grimm, 2010;King, 2009;Campaiola-Veen, 2012).…”