Star Academy (also known as Starmaker) is a Dutch-developed reality television talent show format. It first aired in the Netherlands as Starmaker in 2001 and has since been spun into over 30 global franchises across Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.
Format There are many versions of the show, each country having its own slight variations, but the basic concept remains the same: contestants live in a boarding-school called "The Academy", managed by a director, and various teachers coach them in several artistic disciplines. The participants are filmed with cameras throughout the day and night (an idea borrowed from another of Endemol's major reality shows Big Brother). Once a week, the contestants have to face a prime time show, where they sing the song they've prepared during the week before, as well as recapping their trials and tribulations at The Academy from the past week. The live show will often feature special guest stars, with whom some of the contestants have the opportunity to sing. Based on the judges' verdicts and viewer voting, the weakest contestant is dropped. The eventual winner is awarded a record deal and usually some amount of money.
History
The public entity RTVE participated with Gestmusic, a Spanish branch of Endemol, in the development of a music program in 2001. The objective was to promote three musical careers and to find the new representative of Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest. After carrying out a series of auditions for thousands of people throughout Spain, on 22 October 2001, the first Operación Triunfo season began airing on Spanish television channel, La 1. A total of 16 contestants were candidates for the prize. Although production company Gestmusic created the format, Star Academy first premiered in France on 20 October 2001, two days before Operación Triunfo began airing in Spain.
Star Academy has reached markets as different as India, the Arab World and the United States, becoming the first Spanish format ever acquired by these countries. This show is similar to the Idols franchise, but different in that it also shows the contestants' lives together in the "Academy" where they are trained; American Idol shows nothing of the contestants' personalities or relationships with each other. Star Academy is in essence a singing competition, where the lowest vote-receiver each week must leave the show, ending finally when only one person remains.
In 2009, the Georgian local version of the show was cancelled mid-season as a result of their Academy building collapsing. Two on-site technical staff members died in the collapse in the early morning of 26 April 2009. Several contestants were brought to hospital following the disaster, but none of them were in danger. Rustavi 2 subsequently axed the series.
In 2011, most Star Academy series outside of Africa and the Middle East were phased out in favor of another musical competition format from Endemol, The Voice. In Europe, many of the series were cancelled as a result of lower ratings and high production costs. In 2017, the series was revived in Spain after six years of absence and Russia after an absence of ten years. Although the Spanish series became a ratings success, the Russian revival became a ratings flop and was not renewed in 2018.
During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Spain was the only country in the world that was producing a season of the show. The contestants were aware of the developments with regards to the pandemic, which led to the show being eventually paused for several months with the contestants sent home.
Star Academy around the world There were more than 30 franchises of Star Academy all around the world, with 103 winners. As of 2020, only the Spanish version is still in production. The French-Canadian adaptation (based on the French version) returned in winter 2021.
Franchise with a currently airing season Franchise awaiting confirmation Franchise with an unknown status Franchise with an upcoming season Franchise no longer in production
Region Local name Channel Winner Main Presenters African CountriesPan regional version with 11 African countries involved: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Project FameWebsite M-NetDStv The Africa Channel Season 1, 2004: Lindiwe Alam James AlexanderVusi Twala Star Academy Albania - Akademia e Yjeve TV KlanSeason 1, 2006: Unknown Season 2, 2007: Ajkuna Anxhaku Season 3, 2008: Iris Hoxha Season 4, 2009: Elhaida Dani Season 5, 2010: Albi Xhepa Zana Çela Arab MaghrebAdaptation for the Maghreb area. Countries taking part: Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Morocco. Star Academy MaghrebWebsite Nessma TVSeason 1, 2007: Hajar Adnane Nabila El Kilani Arab worldArab world version, with 19 contestants chosen from the Arab world countries taking part in it (watching, voting and/or with a contestant): Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen. Star Academy ArabiaWebsiteWebsiteWebsiteLBCICBC Season 1, 2003–2004: Mohamed Attia Season 2, 2004–2005: Hisham Abdulrahman Season 3, 2005–2006: Joseph Attieh Season 4, 2006–2007: Shatha Hassoun Season 5, 2008: Nader Guirat Season 6, 2009: Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Season 7, 2010: Nassif Zeytoun Season 8, 2011: Nessma Alaa Mahgoub Season 9, 2013–2014: Mahmoud Mohey Season 10, 2014: Mohamed Chahine Season 11, 2015–2016: Marwan YoussefHilda Khalife Operación Triunfo WebsiteWebsiteWebsite TelefeCanal 4DirecTV Season 1, 2003: Claudio Basso Season 2, 2004–2005: José García Season 3, 2005–2006: Benjamín Rosales Season 4, 2009: Cristian Manuel Soloa Season 5, 2012–2013: F.A.N.S.The exclusive edition for women had the mission of forming a group with the contestants.Alejandro Wiebe, "Marley" Germán Paoloski Star AcademyWebsiteWebsiteKanaal TweeSeason 1, 2005: Katerine Avgoustakis Walter Grootaers Star AcademyWebsiteRTL-TVISeason 1, 2002: Mélanie Martin'sVirginie Efira & Frédéric Hebrays StarmakerWebsiteRTL-TVISeason 1, 2024: Manon BoyerLa Fábrica de Estrellas - Star Academy WebsiteRed UnitelSeason 1, 2016: David Soliz Season 2, 2016: Vania TaborgaAnabel AngusAngélica Mérida Fama WebsiteWebsite Rede GloboSKY Season 1, 2002: Vanessa Jackson Season 2, 2003: Marcus Vinícius Season 3, 2004: Tiago Silva Season 4, 2005: Fabio SouzaAngélica Ksyvickis Toni Garrido Star Academy Website Nova TelevisionNova+ CableTel Season 1, 2005: Marin Yonchev Maria Ilieva Star AcadémieWebsite TVASeason 1, 2003: Wilfred Le Bouthillier Season 2, 2004: Stéphanie Lapointe Season 3, 2005: Marc-André Fortin Season 4, 2009: Maxime Landry Season 5, 2012: Jean-Marc Couture Season 6, 2021: William Cloutier Season 7, 2022: Krystel Mongeau Season 8, 2025: Mia TinayreJulie Snyder Patrice Michaud Marc Dupré Jean-Philippe Dion Operación TriunfoWebsite MegaSeason 1, 2003: Mónica RodríguezMónica Rodríguez was chosen as the winner by the jury, however César Ávila was the most voted by the public.Álvaro Escobar East AfricaJoint version with contestants from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Tusker Project Fame WebsiteWebsiteM-Net (Africa) NTV Citizen TV RTNB Channel 10 StarTV TBC UBC WBS NTV Rwanda TV SSTV Channel 146 Season 1, 2006: Valerie Kimani Season 2, 2008: Esther Nabaasa Mugizi Season 3, 2009: Alpha Rwirangira Season 4, 2010: Davis Hillary Ntare Season 5, 2012: Ruth Matete Gaetano Kagwa Fumnilayo Raimi Mich Egwang Sheila Mwanyigah Tusker All-Stars Season 1, 2011: Davis Ntare, Peter Msechu & Alpha Rwirangira Gaetano Kagwa Eve D'Souza Star AcademyWebsiteWebsiteWebsite TF1 NRJ 12 Season 1, 2001–2002: Jenifer Bartoli Season 2, 2002: Nolwenn Leroy Season 3, 2003: Élodie Frégé Season 4, 2004: Grégory Lemarchal Season 5, 2005: Magalie Vaé Season 6, 2006: Cyril Cinélu Season 7, 2007–2008: Quentin Mosimann Season 8, 2008: Mickels Réa Season 9, 2012–2013: Laurène Bourvon Season 10, 2022: Anisha Jo Season 11, 2023–2024: Pierre Garnier Season 12, 2024–2025: Marine Delplace Season 13, 2025–2026: Ambre Jadah Season 14, 2026: Upcoming season Nikos Aliagas Karima Charni Mathieu Delormeau Tonya Kinzinger ვარსკვლავების აკადემია Varskvlavebis AkademiaWebsite Rustavi 2Season 1, 2008: Dito Lagvilava Season 2, 2009: CancelledThe five-storey building housing Georgia's "Star Academy" collapsed on 26 April 2009, during production of the show's second season. Two people on the production staff were killed, and the series was cancelled out of respect to those that were affected by the collapse. There were eight contestants that were remaining in the competition at the time of the show's cancellation. Sopho KhalvashiGiorgi Qorqia Fame AcademyWebsite RTL IITele 5MTV2 PopSeason 1, 2003–2004: Become One(resulting six-member band). Nova Meierhenrich / Fame Story Website ANT1 Season 1, 2002: Notis Christodoulou Season 2, 2004: Kalomira Season 3, 2004–2005: Pericles Stergianoudes Season 4, 2006: Leonidas Balafas Natalia Germanou
Tatiana Stefanidou Sophia Aliberti Star Channel Omega TV Season 5, 2023: Anna Poltzoglou Nikos Koklonis Star Academy - Super Star Academy Website Epsilon TV Plus Channel Cyprus Season 1, 2017: Christina Ksirokosta Menios Fourthiotis Star Academy MagyaroszágWebsite TV2Season 1, 2016: Renáta Szőcs MajkaNóra Ördög Fame GurukulWebsiteSET IndiaSeason 1, 2005: Qazi Touqeer & Ruprekha Banerjee Mandira Bedi Manav Gohil Sophie Choudry Shilpa Sakhlani Celebrity Fame GurukulWebsiteSeason 1, 2005: Amit SareenFame X Chal UdiyeWebsiteSAB TVSeason 2, 2006–2007: Rehan Khan סטאר אקדמיReshet 13 Season 1, 2025–2026: Upcoming seasonNoa Kirel Operazione TrionfoItalia 1Season 1, 2002: Bruno CuomoMiguel Bosé Star AcademyWebsiteRai 2Season 1, 2011: CancelledRai 2 cancelled the show in October 2011 due to poor ratings. Therefore, the season finale never aired, and no results were announced.Francesco Facchinetti Жұлдыздар фабрикасыJuldizdar FabrikasiWebsiteTV7Season 1, 2011: Alisher Egemberdiev Adil LiyanTaya Katyusha Operación TriunfoWebsiteTelevisaSeason 1, 2002: Darina MárquezJaime CamilОддын академиOddin akademiEdutainment TVSeason 1, 2017: The Wasabies Batbileg BattsDashdavaa Amartuvshin Starmaker WebsiteYorinSeason 1, 2001: K-oticResulting a seven-member band. Gijs Staverman Star Academy WebsiteSeason 2, 2002: CancelledYorin cancelled the series in March 2002, citing low viewing figures. No results were announced at the time of the show's cancellation. Danny Rook Operación TriunfoWebsiteAmérica TelevisiónSeason 1, 2012: Mayra Alejandra GoñiGisela Valcárcel Pinoy Dream AcademyWebsite ABS-CBNStudio 23Season 1, 2006: Yeng Constantino Season 2, 2008: Laarni LozadaNikki Gil Toni Gonzaga Bianca Gonzalez Sam Milby Roxanne Barcelo Billy Crawford Pinoy Dream Academy: Little DreamersSeason 1, 2008: Philip Nolasco Fabryka Gwiazd Website PolsatSeason 1, 2008: Martyna Melosik Maciej RockEndemol produced two versions for each channel.Academia de EstrelasWebsiteWebsiteTVISeason 1, 2002–03: Mané Crestejo Teresa Guilherme Academia de Famosos WebsiteWebsiteSeason 1, 2003: Romana Paulo PiresFernanda Serrano Operação TriunfoWebsiteWebsiteWebsiteRTPSeason 1, 2003: Sofia Barbosa Season 2, 2003–04: Sofia Vitória Season 3, 2007–08: Vânia Fernandes Season 4, 2010–11: Jorge RoqueCatarina Furtado Sílvia Alberto Star Factory RomâniaWebsite Prima TVSeason 1, 2003–2004: Alex Velea Laura Iordache Virgil Ianțu WebsiteWebsite Prime TV2 PlusTVR 1 (Season 3)Season 1, 2008–2009: Alexandru Manciu Season 2, 2010: Alexandru Belenki Season 3, 2012: Alexandru Mațaev Andreea Raicu Dan Negru Marius Vizante Фабрика звёздFabrika zvyozdWebsiteChannel OneSeason 1, 2002: Pasha ArtemyevPasha Artemyev decided to share the award with the other finalists and to create the band Korni. Season 2, 2003: Polina Gagarina Season 3, 2003: Nikita Malinin Season 4, 2004: Irina Dubtsova Season 5, 2004: Victoria Dayneko Season 6, 2006: Dmitry Koldun