SEOUL, March 7 (Yonhap) — Mnet, South Korea’s cable music channel owned by CJ E&M, has decided against producing and airing its flagship singing audition show “Superstar K” this year, according to the company Tuesday.
“There is no ‘Superstar K’ in this year’s Mnet line up,” said a company official, who clarified that the network isn’t discarding the show but rather mulling on its future direction.
The show, which began in 2009, has aired a total of eight seasons until last year. Its success prompted the creation of similar audition shows on all three major terrestrial networks.
“Superstar K” has also propelled various underground talents, including Huh Gak, Busker Busker and Roy Kim, into major K-pop stardom.
In terms of ratings and online buzz, however, the show slowly lost its luster over the years, which likely prompted the network to skip the series in 2017.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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