American Idol, formerly known as American Idol: The Search for a Superstar, is an American television series. It is part of the Idol series, originated as the UK show Pop Idol, a singing talent contest to determine the best "undiscovered" young singer in the country. In recent years it has become one of the most highly publicized music competitions in the world.
American Idol is screened on the Fox Network in the United States which is part of News Corporation and on CTV in Canada.[1] It is created by Simon Fuller (manager of the Spice Girls and S Club 7) and developed by Simon Jones of Thames Television. The directors are Bruce Gowers (director of Queen's original "Bohemian Rhapsody" video), Nigel Lythgoe (a judge on So You Think You Can Dance), Simon Fuller (creator) and Ken Warwick (Gladiators and Grudge Match).
American Idol is produced by Fremantle North America which is owned by German Bertelsmann. Each contestant may sign a contract with one of Bertelsmann's many music labels because Bertelsmann owns half of Sony BMG. American Idol is managed by 19 Entertainment which is owned by the international joint venture CKX, Inc.
American Idol won a 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for favorite television show. In the same year the show won the #1 spot on Nielsen Ratings for two years in a row, favored over the NBA Playoffs, NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, Grammy Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, Academy Awards, and the Olympics. The show's success inspired other nations to produce their own variations of the Idol series, and also became the subject of numerous parodies.