Tencent’s reality show, Produce Camp 2021, has produced China’s latest boy band sensation, INTO1. But can it wow global audiences?
What Happened: Following its finale, the Tencent-produced reality show, Chuang or Produce Camp 2021 (创造营 2021), has created what may well be China’s latest boy band sensation, INTO1. The show saw 90 would-be boy band idols battle it out on an artificially created island off Hainan to win over audiences in song and dance challenges and land a spot in the final “group of 11”. The hashtag #Producecamp2021 currently has over 2.9 billion views and 5.71 million comments. The show, now in its fourth series, was streamed on Tencent Video where it achieved record breaking figures (4.77 billion viewers tuned in) and WeTV.
The Jing Take: China’s obsession with Reality TV shows is big business. Chuang is simply the latest in a long line of contests alluring fans and contestants alike in a booming sector. The rewards for those taking part are obvious: expensive social followings and lucrative contracts from brands looking to sign them up. For example, singer Cai Xukun made his name in the 2018 series of Idol Producer 偶像练习生, and later went on to represent Prada and Fila. Perfect Diary has now snapped up winner Liu Yu — who will be the band’s leader — as its latest ambassador. In addition, these fans are known to shower the contestants with lavish gifts and donations: during the show’s final, they pledged over $6.16 million to their favorites. Continue to read the full article here
