Singapore – ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) and Singapore-based production house Imagine OmniMedia are the latest to jump on the football talent search format bandwagon in the region with a deal inked to collaborate on developing, producing and broadcasting a global talent search reality football entertainment series in Asia. Currently titled Sport*Star Football, ESS and Imagine OmniMedia’s upcoming series is the fourth such show, following FOX8 channel’s newly announced Football Superstar for Australia which goes into pre-production with tryouts organized on May 11, 2008 to select contestants in, as well as 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. Under the agreement, Imagine OmniMedia will produce the original Sport*Star Football series while ESS will provide creative inputs, 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. Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESS, said, “We are committed to serving our fans by providing them unique opportunities to engage with their favorite sports across platforms. With this interactive and entertaining initiative, football fans will have a lot more to look forward to in days to come.” 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.