ETC is where the brightest stars are born, and this January, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. are back and ready to find the liveliest of them all.
American Idol XIV kicks off the fun with a special, two-night, three-hour premiere this January 8, Thursday via satellite at 6PM (replay telecast at 9PM) and January 9, Friday via satellite at 6PM (replay telecast 9PM) on ETC. With Ryan Seacrest as host, the show travels around the U.S. in search for America’s next superstar with stopovers at Kansas City, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco.
This landmark 14th season see’s one of the most successful forces in the music industry today join the show as mentor to help shape the career of the show’s winner. Scott Borchetta is President and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group and is credited as the mastermind behind the career of country and pop sensation Taylor Swift.
The winner of American Idol XIV will win a record deal with Borchetta’s record label Big Machine Records in partnership with 19 Entertainment and Universal Music Group. With Borchetta playing a more integrated part than previous seasons, he will be able to share his expert knowledge from early on in the competition, through to the finale and beyond.
“There’s only one reason I’m doing this: American Idol has proven again and again that it can launch superstars. I believe that working with these young artists the same way we work with new artists at the Big Machine Label Group will help the next American Idol be as prepared as possible to continue the tradition of creating new superstars,” said Borchetta. “The entire label group will be invested and we look forward to bringing our energy, focus and know-how to help develop this young talent at the highest levels.”
Superstars are made on American Idol, the long-running reality show is the only singing competition to boast alumni’s that have gone on to earn 12 Grammy Awards, 255 million songs downloaded, 61 million albums sold, and 29 gold records to date.
Viewers of ETC can share their thoughts via Twitter (@etc_channel) with the hashtag #aionetc during the via satellite and prime time telecast of American Idol on January 8 and 9 for a chance to win awesome prizes. Check out ETC’s Facebook page for the full mechanics and prizes.
American Idol premieres January 8, Thursday via satellite at 6PM (primetime replay at 9PM) and January 9, Friday via satellite at 6PM (primetime replay 9PM) on ETC – watch it first and only on free TV.
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ETC is seen on UHF channel 21, Sky Cable and Destiny Digital Ch. 16, Global Destiny Ch. 28, Cignal Ch. 9, Cable Link Ch. 34 and various cable operators nationwide.