Nigel Lythgoe, producer of "American Idol," will launch a country music competition series on CMT in April, coming after Ben Silverman's "Nashville Star" ended its run on NBC in 2008. "CMT's Next Superstar" will be much smaller than "American Idol," with 10 one-hour episodes. The show will look for contestants who can write songs and perform in music videos. Viewers will vote for the winner.
The CMT series will be executive produced in partnership with his son Simon, with the involvement of 19 Entertainment, which is part of CKX and owns the "American Idol" brand globally.
Ben Silverman launched the similar "Nashville Star" on NBC Universal's USA network in 2003, an attempt to capitalize on the "American Idol" excitement. The show aired for five seasons on USA before moving to NBC for its final season in 2008. CMT had re-run rights to the final season.
Click here for more information on Ben Silverman and CMT's Next Superstar.
