Singapore – ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) and Singapore-based production house Imagine OmniMedia, along with Australian pay-TV channel FOX8 are the latest to jump on the football talent search bandwagon, lining up the region’s third and fourth football talent search reality shows. These join Chinese shows Soccer Prince by Hunan TV, Kickworldwide and FremantleMedia, and Galleon Holdings plc, Guangdong TV Sports Channel and Chelsea Football Club’s Soccer Super Star. ESS and Imagine OmniMedia signed a deal to collaborate on developing, producing and broadcasting a global talent search reality football entertainment series in Asia. Currently titled Sport*Star Football, Imagine OmniMedia will produce the original series while ESS will provide creative input, market and broadcast the series across its footprint in Asia. ESS also intends to use its talent and original programming to market the series to sports fans. Sport*Star Football was conceptualized by David Edwards, executive producer and creator of Rock*Star:INXS, the first season of talent search reality show Rock*Star, to unearth the new lead vocalist for Australian rock music group INXS. Imagine OmniMedia was the production house responsible for the production of recently concluded reality Thai-boxing based series The Contender Asia which aired across Asia on AXN. Down Under, from June 2008, FOX8 will debut Football Superstar, an eight-part talent search reality TV series. The series is being produced by North One Television Australia and is sponsored by Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain to uncover Australian football talent and offer development opportunities to help the selected player progress to a professional football career. The first Australian TV series of its kind, Football Superstar will be hosted by pop-star Brian McFadden with the winner to be offered a contract at Australian League football club Sydney FC, a A$30,000 (US$28,400) scholarship with Macquarie University, and endorsement contracts for Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain. Pre-production of the series is currently underway, as tryouts were conducted May 11, 2008 for New South Wales football players aged 16-21 at Macquarie University. A select group will move into a special training house and undergo a month-long trial to be televised on FOX8. An expert judging panel and celebrity football guests will preside over the weekly elimination process before a final trial match is played by the final three contestants to crown the Football Superstar.