Show of the week: The Stream

There have been few attempts to create new spins on the music competition format since Rising Star failed to deliver on huge hype from the industry a few years back. The Stream, however, is one that has tried and – so far – succeeded to find the right formula.

The format moves the classic talent search format online, and shifts focus from the voice to the music itself, says distributor Nordic World’s VP of acquisitions, Ann Christin Silijan.

“Other shows have a very different approach,”she adds.

The format’s search for the next Justin Bieber begins with members of the public uploading their music videos to an online platform. The 100-most streamed are then invited to a showcase, where they perform in front of music industry establishment.

Thirty go on to work with the executives for a week, with each honcho signing their best three artists. These competitors when go up against each other in a live weekly show, with their fate decided by the number of streams they get.

“The format allows you to build a fan base before the show is on air, and that is an interesting opportunity,” says Silijan. “The audience gets to know the artist before they are on the TV, and it is a show that tallies with how the music industry finds new music.”

Further to that, the innate multiplatform nature of the show has helped Nordic World in sales discussions. “Buyers want shows that work on different platforms, and that element is in-built into this format. It’s not a traditional talent show, but genuinely something new.”

Soft-launched last year, the format played well on debut broadcaster TV2 in Norway, leading Nordic World to sell the format to NBC for US broadcast television.

Paul Telegdy’s Universal Television Alternative Studio, which is part of NBCUniversal, will produce the US version in association with Monster, TV2, Nordic World and Little Hill.

Meanwhile, Nordic World and NBCU’s international arm share format rights and will be at NATPE searching for interested parties.

The show: The Stream
The producer: Monster
The distributor: Nordic World, NBCUniversal
The broadcaster TV2 (Norway), NBC (US)
The concept: A music talent show for the digital generation