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Porno wannabes addition to TV reality stables
"Big Brother" watch out! Locking a group of ambitious young men and women inside specially-prepared "houses" packed with tiny cameras has kept record audiences around the globe glued to their screens around the clock.
Entitled "Private Stars", the Spanish-based Private Media Group's raunchy new series was unveiled at this year's five-day MIPCOM international audiovisual trade show, which ends Friday.
It is by far the most controversial reality programme up for grabs at this MIPCOM. But with a large number of ever-more-extreme shows on offer, buyers might be ready for the ultimate test.
TV execs confirm that reality television is still a hot ticket with the formats proving a winning formula with 16- up to mid-30-year-old audiences around the world.
Formats that are proving popular in Cannes this year include the less extreme but new big smash hit "The Apprentice", in which contestants slug it out to clinch a job of a lifetime and a hefty salary. Countries that have signed up to broadcast the show later this year include Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, The Philippines and Bulgaria.
There is also no shortage of "Pop Idol" look-alike shows, including "The Immortals" in which internationally-known bands and solo acts help select the new singers and musicians who will take over their band name and recording titles.
The biggest money prize on offer is potentially the million-dollar cheque waiting for the winner of "The Benefactor", which launched recently on the ABC channel in the United States.
But the maximum exposure prize will probably go to the new porno reality show.
In "Private Stars", the five raw male contestants and their more experienced female mentors are screened 24 hours a day as they produce their own porn film. But unlike "Big Brother"-style shows, it is the female stars that wield the power over the fates of the male newcomers. And the prize! A contract for a role in a "real" pornographic film.
But the format stops short of "showing explicit sexual acts," Private Media Group's Javier Sanchez said at a press conference here.
"If viewers want to see more, they need to buy the DVD or they can go to our Internet site where they can follow the action in real time," he underlined.
Viewers in a number of countries could shortly have the opportunity of tuning into the porno action, as a number of European countries as well as South Africa and the United States have expressed interest, Sanchez said.
The exposure issue does not appear to be a deterrent. The company had received over 600 applications in just three days from male hopefuls eager to strut their stuff.
But the show, not helped by being filmed in the heart of Amsterdam's red light district, already has its critics. Its launch in August in Britain triggered criticism by politicians and public interest groups who claimed it could encourage immoral behaviour.
But "Private Lives" creators point out that it is the voyeurism aspect that attracts viewers to the reality genre.
As Private Media Group president and CEO Berth Milton summed it up. "The reality show format is a proven formula in today's television landscape. 'Private Stars' is the real thing, and will attract significant audience attention through its upfront presentation of what is ultimately the biggest interest-generator in reality TV."
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