The producers of The Amazing Race Australia have teamed up with Universal Music and Chinese production company Ato Ato Integrated Media to bring RockBand – the TV show – to local shores.
Independent production company activeTV, which also produced kids show Prank Patrol 2, will co-produce the Chinese format and distribute content via TV, Internet and mobile.
“Australians love their rock music. It’s a hugely popular genre which hasn’t been tapped into for primetime Aussie TV,” activeTV president Michael McKay said in a statement.
“This format worked incredibly well in China, particularly with its strong transmedia elements.”
So well in fact that about 130 million music lovers tuned into the first series and about 20 million tuned into the live web show.
“With activeTV’s expertise in live entertainment shows and our success with unscripted formats, we think RockBand will excite family audiences as they witness the rock gods of tomorrow, breaking out of the garage and onto the big stage,” McKay added.
Universal’s Darren Aboud said Australia was renowned for breeding some of the best rock bands, so this new series was the “perfect platform” for the next generation.
The series will see a nationwide grass roots competition with rock band contenders hoping to win a place in a 10-week, intensive battle. Both current and legendary rock musicians will make guest appearances.
A spokeswoman said it was currently being pitched to networks.
Ato Ato Integrated Media’s executive producer Eric Zho will be a guest speaker at the X Media Lab: Global Media Ideas forum in Sydney next month.