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American Idol
Owner: Bertelsmann
Country: Germany
Having begun on Fox in 2002 as a spin-off of the popular British show Pop Idol, American Idol's first season was a smash hit. An astounding 22.8 million viewers tuned in for the final episode with 110 million audience members voting throughout the season. The show just completed its seventh season and today is one of the most popular music talent shows in the world. It turns out, however, that the wizard behind the curtain of this "American" phenomenon isn't American at all: German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, which also owns publishing giant Random House, is the parent company of American Idol's producer, Fremantle North America.
