Spending to win in reality TV

A scene from "Opera Star", which has one of the highest production budgets among music competition shows. Provided by tvN

The growing number of reality competition shows has pushed television production budgets ever higher, and nowhere is this more evident than in the pyrotechnics poured into two of the most popular reality shows, MBC's "Survival: I Am a Singer" and tvN's "Opera Star".

"Survival: I Am a Singer" is a competition between popular singers and votes are cast by the studio audience. It went on hiatus after a rules scandal saw one of the nation's most popular singers voted off the show.

But the show has returned stronger than ever, blowing away all other programs in its Sunday time slot. The show is also the top program on Korean search engines and music Web sites. Last Sunday's episode earned a 10.7 percent AGB Nielsen rating.

The show is similar in format to the new reality show "Opera Star", where celebrity singers such as Lim Jung-hee, JK Kim Dong-wook and Tei have helped bring opera into the mainstream while boosting ratings to 2.64 percent on average and 4.22 percent at the highest.

Both music programs have been doing anything they can to boost ratings, regardless of the sky-high production costs.

"I Am a Singer" has been pushing to produce the best light and sound effects money can buy and recently upgraded its speakers and monitor equipment to live performance standards.

"The average programs focus on camera angles and so forth, but our program's sole focus is on the music and how it is projected into the living room", said the show's music producer, singer-songwriter Jung Jee-chan.

The show "Survival: I Am a Singer" has become the most popular show in its Sunday time slot. Provided by MBC

The strategy has been an apparent success, with audiences and singers apparently satisfied with the results. The show, which is recorded in front of a studio audience, has enhanced audio that feels and sounds like a live show.

"It was as easy as one of my regular performances", singer BMK said.

Experts estimate that the show spends at least 80 million won ($73,700) an episode on equipment, production, celebrity appearance fees and more.

"We can't reveal the show's total production costs, but we can say that compared to other Sunday night variety programs, ours invests the most money", producer Shin Jung-soo said.

"Opera Star" dug even deeper. The show built its own theater at the SangMyung Art Center in central Seoul, hired a 35-member orchestra and filmed all six episodes in high definition, resulting in a production budget of 200 million won.

Lee Duk-jae, tvN Broadcasting's station director, said, "We hoped to create a sound stage that wouldn't shrink in comparison to others in the eyes of classical music specialists".

Song Chang, the production manager of CJ Media, which owns tvN, echoed this sentiment when he said, "Today's TV viewers want HDTV, surround sound systems and home theaters, so if broadcasters don't cater to that we'll end up falling short".

The producers of "Opera Star" can rest assured, as they presented a well-received season finale last Saturday.

First place was awarded to Tei, who ended the evening by joking that his win might force him to reconsider his career path.

The two music programs are not the only ones shattering production records. Mnet's "Superstar K" spent 100 million won last season alone and MBC's "Star Audition" spent well over 100 million won for its first two seasons.

As production costs have ballooned, so has the amount of outside sponsorships for said programs. "I Am a Singer" is now collaborating with such companies as Melon, Samsung Electronics and the portal site Daum. Daum promotes the show by uploading clips of singers' performances without the interruption of interview segments found in the broadcast version.

"Opera Star" has an agreement with Mnet's record company, which currently produces and distributes music by the show's celebrity singers.

Shin, the "I Am a Singer" producer, said, "The high ratings are our reward for the amount of hard work we've put in, and advertisements have been selling. It's had a positive impact on us all".

By Kang Hye-ran