JP/ R. Berto Wedhatama
Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
| Mon, 08/09/2010 11:06 AM | Feature
Watching some fresh faces singing on the stage, competing for “Idol” status might have been very entertaining some years ago.
Like a drama about finding a diamond in the rough, Indonesian Idol captured the hearts of many because they could witness a real “zero to hero” story.
But let’s admit it: Any drama would send viewers into boredom after so many long episodes, and so has been the case with Indonesian Idol. After five years with the same old nuance, Indonesian Idol has started to lose its grip. Last year marked its first absence in five years following declining ratings — from 5.9 percent in 2004 to 4.3 percent in 2008, as revealed by AGB Nielsen. Meanwhile, its comeback this year has landed it in a pool already occupied by a crowd of new talent shows with different flavors, like Indonesia Mencari Bakat (Indonesia Looks for Talents) and Indonesia’s Got Talent.
“Our viewers today tend to prefer talent shows that offer more than just singing competitions,” says senior music critic Bens Leo. “People aren’t really after Indonesian Idol anymore because the trend has shifted to shows that bring a wide range of performances, like Indonesia Mencari Bakat and Indonesia’s Got Talent,” he adds.
| Mon, 08/09/2010 11:06 AM | Feature
Watching some fresh faces singing on the stage, competing for “Idol” status might have been very entertaining some years ago.
Like a drama about finding a diamond in the rough, Indonesian Idol captured the hearts of many because they could witness a real “zero to hero” story.
But let’s admit it: Any drama would send viewers into boredom after so many long episodes, and so has been the case with Indonesian Idol. After five years with the same old nuance, Indonesian Idol has started to lose its grip. Last year marked its first absence in five years following declining ratings — from 5.9 percent in 2004 to 4.3 percent in 2008, as revealed by AGB Nielsen. Meanwhile, its comeback this year has landed it in a pool already occupied by a crowd of new talent shows with different flavors, like Indonesia Mencari Bakat (Indonesia Looks for Talents) and Indonesia’s Got Talent.
“Our viewers today tend to prefer talent shows that offer more than just singing competitions,” says senior music critic Bens Leo. “People aren’t really after Indonesian Idol anymore because the trend has shifted to shows that bring a wide range of performances, like Indonesia Mencari Bakat and Indonesia’s Got Talent,” he adds.
Indonesia’s Got Talent, the official adaptation of Britain’s Got Talent, just kicked off last month on Indosiar, bringing people from all ages — individuals or groups — to tout their artistic talents, be it singing, playing music, dancing or acting. Meanwhile, Indonesia Mencari Bakat first aired on Trans TV in March this year, taking on the same concept as the Got Talent series.
“Looking at this shifting trend, the upcoming seasons of Idol must strive to offer something different and new in every episode,” Bens says. “Idol also has to make sure its contestants posses the star quality, in order to boost the show’s quality itself.”
As someone who’s close to the inner circle, Bens discloses that Indonesian Idol was halted after its fifth season in 2008 due to disappointment over the quality of that year’s winner — Januarisman, or Aris.
That year’s finale night recorded the lowest audience in the show’s history — around 1.8 million across 10 big cities, compared to 2 million viewers in the previous season, according to AGB Nielsen.
“Aris’ triumph was not what people were expecting. His vocal quality is far behind other contestants,” Bens says. “I was informed that [Pop Idol’s] license owner was very disappointed with this and asked for improvements in the quality of Indonesian Idol’s candidates. That’s why [Indonesian Idol] took a one-year break to plan a new strategy.”
FremantleMedia and RCTI station, however, offered different reasons for the break. RCTI’s communications officer Trista P. Effendi reveals the show missed a year because the show’s life-cycle was set for five years. FremantleMedia’s communications officer Lagita Ayu, on the other hand, says the hiatus was one way to keep Idol from becoming lackluster. This could also be one way to anticipate the shifting trend in talent shows.
“It had been five years, so we thought we should take a break as we realized people might get bored with the same old format,” says Lagita. “Within the one-year break, we worked on a new concept and format.”
The new concept and format saw Idol pick new judges, set new age limit and number of finalists and create new stage concepts to win back the audience’s heart.
“The finalists now are 14, compared to 12 in the previous years. We also dropped the age limit to 16 [from 17],” Lagita says. “This was to create bigger opportunities [for contestants].”
The judges features a “cast of characters” designed to encourage the public to tune in to watch.
This season also upped the anti by bringing in young pop sensation Agnes Monica to replace pop diva Titi DJ, who had been on the show for the previous five seasons. Composer Erwin Gutawa took the seat of musician Indra Lesmana, accompanying last season’s judge/producer-cum-singer Anang Hermansyah. In addition, famous musicians including Armand Maulana and Rossa joined the show as guest judges.
“Bringing in figures like Armand Maulana and Rossa was more than just an attempt to seek alternative comments,” says Bens. “These people were other “actors” who could add some drama to the show.
Armand, Bens says, sometimes became very animated when he saw “rock-style” performances.
Meanwhile, “Rossa even cried when her favorite contestants were eliminated. This was truly dramatic, and the audience loves to watch this kind of thing,” he adds.
Bens could be right, but this bold reshuffle of judges proved one thing: Idol sought to embrace a new look that would place it apart from other talent shows.
“It was a fresh start [for Idol]. Agnes Monica, for example, is such a superstar — she’s an icon for youth,” says Lagita. “We want her presence [in the show] to motivate young people.”
While judges and contestants as the “characters” make up one side of the show, the other side concerns the workshops and stage performance concepts – that help create the actual spectacles in Idol.
This year’s Idol, Lagita says, saw some mentors regularly help finalists to improve their performances.
Meanwhile, on the stage, the finalists didn’t have to perform alone, but instead were accompanied by guest musicians and singers in every episode.
“In every episode, we let the finalists duet with their real idols,” Lagita says. “You never reall saw anything like this in the previous seasons.”
In watching the contestants perform with famous musicians, the audience can see if they have the aura of a star, and also judge the development of the contestants from one episode to the next.
“For the audience, it’s entertaining to watch these used-to-be-ordinary people transforming into glamorous figures during the many weeks of the competition,” Bens says. “Not only that, but through costumes [and makeup], the audience can enjoy witnessing the change in their stage presence and style.”
However, it is still open to debate whether these added excitements have succeeded in boosting Idol to its original popularity.
The latest viewing data from AGB Nielsen revealed that this year’s Idol failed to maintain its viewers through the episodes. The elimination episodes from May to July only attracted around 1.2 million viewers from 10 cities, compared to around 2.3 million during the auditioning episodes. This also means that Idol’s rating dropped from 4.7 percent in its early episodes to 2.4 percent in the later episodes.
Another fact, however, could shows that the show has increased in popularity among would-be contestants. This year, Trista says, 68,177 people tried their luck in Idol’s auditions. This was a jump from the 57,800 people in the previous year and 53,050 in 2007. As a wider comparison, only 34,370 auditioned in 2004, while 2005 and 2006 drew 37,392 and 48,000 contestants.
No matter how we assess the success of this season’s Idol, it is perhaps safe to say that we witnessed this year the return of a phenomenal music competition that brought some new flavors.
“This year’s Idol discovered [winner and runner-up] Igo and Citra, who have different vocal colors and styles,” Bens says of this season’s winner Elicohen Christellgo Pentury, 16, and runner-up Skolastika Citra Kirana Wulan, 17. “Citra is sweet and jazzy, while Igo is into pop-rock. They’re young and different — and that’s just what Indonesia has been looking for.”
PROGRAM RATING - INDONESIAN IDOL 2004-2008
Market: Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Semarang, Bandung, Makassar, Yogyakarta, Palembang, Denpasar and Banjarmasin
Year Average number of audience Rating (%) Share (%)
2004 Grand Final 2,105,000 5.9 20.8
2005 Grand Final 1,905,000 5.1 14.9
2006 Grand Final 2,060,000 5.3 15.7
2007 Grand Final 2,041,000 4.9 14.3
2008 Grand Final 1,816,000 4.3 17.4
2010 Audition 2,318,000 4.7 20.0
2010 Elimination 1,182,000 2.4 12.5
Source: Nielsen Audience Measurement
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/09/%E2%80%98indonesian-idol%E2%80%99-striving-captivate.html
“Looking at this shifting trend, the upcoming seasons of Idol must strive to offer something different and new in every episode,” Bens says. “Idol also has to make sure its contestants posses the star quality, in order to boost the show’s quality itself.”
As someone who’s close to the inner circle, Bens discloses that Indonesian Idol was halted after its fifth season in 2008 due to disappointment over the quality of that year’s winner — Januarisman, or Aris.
That year’s finale night recorded the lowest audience in the show’s history — around 1.8 million across 10 big cities, compared to 2 million viewers in the previous season, according to AGB Nielsen.
“Aris’ triumph was not what people were expecting. His vocal quality is far behind other contestants,” Bens says. “I was informed that [Pop Idol’s] license owner was very disappointed with this and asked for improvements in the quality of Indonesian Idol’s candidates. That’s why [Indonesian Idol] took a one-year break to plan a new strategy.”
FremantleMedia and RCTI station, however, offered different reasons for the break. RCTI’s communications officer Trista P. Effendi reveals the show missed a year because the show’s life-cycle was set for five years. FremantleMedia’s communications officer Lagita Ayu, on the other hand, says the hiatus was one way to keep Idol from becoming lackluster. This could also be one way to anticipate the shifting trend in talent shows.
“It had been five years, so we thought we should take a break as we realized people might get bored with the same old format,” says Lagita. “Within the one-year break, we worked on a new concept and format.”
The new concept and format saw Idol pick new judges, set new age limit and number of finalists and create new stage concepts to win back the audience’s heart.
“The finalists now are 14, compared to 12 in the previous years. We also dropped the age limit to 16 [from 17],” Lagita says. “This was to create bigger opportunities [for contestants].”
The judges features a “cast of characters” designed to encourage the public to tune in to watch.
This season also upped the anti by bringing in young pop sensation Agnes Monica to replace pop diva Titi DJ, who had been on the show for the previous five seasons. Composer Erwin Gutawa took the seat of musician Indra Lesmana, accompanying last season’s judge/producer-cum-singer Anang Hermansyah. In addition, famous musicians including Armand Maulana and Rossa joined the show as guest judges.
“Bringing in figures like Armand Maulana and Rossa was more than just an attempt to seek alternative comments,” says Bens. “These people were other “actors” who could add some drama to the show.
Armand, Bens says, sometimes became very animated when he saw “rock-style” performances.
Meanwhile, “Rossa even cried when her favorite contestants were eliminated. This was truly dramatic, and the audience loves to watch this kind of thing,” he adds.
Bens could be right, but this bold reshuffle of judges proved one thing: Idol sought to embrace a new look that would place it apart from other talent shows.
“It was a fresh start [for Idol]. Agnes Monica, for example, is such a superstar — she’s an icon for youth,” says Lagita. “We want her presence [in the show] to motivate young people.”
While judges and contestants as the “characters” make up one side of the show, the other side concerns the workshops and stage performance concepts – that help create the actual spectacles in Idol.
This year’s Idol, Lagita says, saw some mentors regularly help finalists to improve their performances.
Meanwhile, on the stage, the finalists didn’t have to perform alone, but instead were accompanied by guest musicians and singers in every episode.
“In every episode, we let the finalists duet with their real idols,” Lagita says. “You never reall saw anything like this in the previous seasons.”
In watching the contestants perform with famous musicians, the audience can see if they have the aura of a star, and also judge the development of the contestants from one episode to the next.
“For the audience, it’s entertaining to watch these used-to-be-ordinary people transforming into glamorous figures during the many weeks of the competition,” Bens says. “Not only that, but through costumes [and makeup], the audience can enjoy witnessing the change in their stage presence and style.”
However, it is still open to debate whether these added excitements have succeeded in boosting Idol to its original popularity.
The latest viewing data from AGB Nielsen revealed that this year’s Idol failed to maintain its viewers through the episodes. The elimination episodes from May to July only attracted around 1.2 million viewers from 10 cities, compared to around 2.3 million during the auditioning episodes. This also means that Idol’s rating dropped from 4.7 percent in its early episodes to 2.4 percent in the later episodes.
Another fact, however, could shows that the show has increased in popularity among would-be contestants. This year, Trista says, 68,177 people tried their luck in Idol’s auditions. This was a jump from the 57,800 people in the previous year and 53,050 in 2007. As a wider comparison, only 34,370 auditioned in 2004, while 2005 and 2006 drew 37,392 and 48,000 contestants.
No matter how we assess the success of this season’s Idol, it is perhaps safe to say that we witnessed this year the return of a phenomenal music competition that brought some new flavors.
“This year’s Idol discovered [winner and runner-up] Igo and Citra, who have different vocal colors and styles,” Bens says of this season’s winner Elicohen Christellgo Pentury, 16, and runner-up Skolastika Citra Kirana Wulan, 17. “Citra is sweet and jazzy, while Igo is into pop-rock. They’re young and different — and that’s just what Indonesia has been looking for.”
PROGRAM RATING - INDONESIAN IDOL 2004-2008
Market: Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Semarang, Bandung, Makassar, Yogyakarta, Palembang, Denpasar and Banjarmasin
Year Average number of audience Rating (%) Share (%)
2004 Grand Final 2,105,000 5.9 20.8
2005 Grand Final 1,905,000 5.1 14.9
2006 Grand Final 2,060,000 5.3 15.7
2007 Grand Final 2,041,000 4.9 14.3
2008 Grand Final 1,816,000 4.3 17.4
2010 Audition 2,318,000 4.7 20.0
2010 Elimination 1,182,000 2.4 12.5
Source: Nielsen Audience Measurement
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/09/%E2%80%98indonesian-idol%E2%80%99-striving-captivate.html
