US TV
NBC has picked up the format rights to the Eurovision song contest with a view to making a US "version", Variety said at the weekend.
The annual battle of country versus country will become a battle of state versus state in the American show, which is expected to run over several weeks.
Original songs will remain at the centre of the competition, however, with each of the 50 states selecting a band or singer to represent them on a national stage.
"You'll have this unbelievable multicultural, regional flavour to the whole show," enthused producer Ben Silverman. "Imagine the Montana cowboy, the Detroit Motown star, the New Jersey alt band and the Tennessee crooner all going up against one another."
Similar to FOX's American Idol, NBC is planning a huge cross-platform push for the show, including interaction via SMS and the web.
"We want to build a community before the show even gets on the air," added Silverman. "There's a way to create a grassroots local thing that can then explode on a national scale once it comes to TV."
The show is expected to air this autumn in the US.
The annual battle of country versus country will become a battle of state versus state in the American show, which is expected to run over several weeks.
Original songs will remain at the centre of the competition, however, with each of the 50 states selecting a band or singer to represent them on a national stage.
"You'll have this unbelievable multicultural, regional flavour to the whole show," enthused producer Ben Silverman. "Imagine the Montana cowboy, the Detroit Motown star, the New Jersey alt band and the Tennessee crooner all going up against one another."
Similar to FOX's American Idol, NBC is planning a huge cross-platform push for the show, including interaction via SMS and the web.
"We want to build a community before the show even gets on the air," added Silverman. "There's a way to create a grassroots local thing that can then explode on a national scale once it comes to TV."
The show is expected to air this autumn in the US.
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