YTV's The Next Star Season 6 Premieres on Monday, July 15 at 7 p.m.

Hit talent competition introduces new second screen experience and new web series

TORONTO, June 19, 2013 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment's YTV and Tricon Films and Television announced today the Season 6 launch of The Next Star. The only talent competition that showcases young singing sensations on a journey to break out as Canada's next hit artists will premiere on Monday, July 15 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. After travelling across Canada, where over five thousand aspiring stars auditioned for their chance at a national platform for their talent, the finalists will come to Toronto to appear on The Next Star's career-making stage.

The show's returning music industry judges include R&B star Keshia Chanté, music industry exec Mark Spicoluk and Canada's country sweetheart Tara Oram. This esteemed panel who have all experienced the ins and outs of being young, breakout stars, will have the tough task of narrowing this field of hopefuls to just twelve. Popular on-air YTV personality Carlos Bustamante (YTV's The Zone, Big Fun Movies), will host this season and be there alongside the auditioning hopefuls during the incredible cross-country tour and throughout the in-studio competition.

"The entire Next Star team was blown away by the level of talent in each city on this year's cross-Canada tour," said Jameel Bharmal, Creative Director, Tricon Films & Television. "This season's hopefuls each bring something unique and incredible to the table - our judges and viewers will have some tough decisions to make."

YTV is introducing fans to a new second screen experience, Next Star Nation, which directly connects fans to the series. This second screen experience expands on the pre-existing cross-platform experience, where fans interact online by voting, participating in the Virtual Next Star Contest, playing Next Star themed games and watching exclusive video.  Next Star Nation will also offer behind-the-scenes exclusive content, live tweeting and daily fan interaction to make this an experience that no YTV show has offered before, available online, by tablet and smartphone.

"We're thrilled with the incredible level of talent going into the sixth season of The Next Star," said Jocelyn Hamilton, Vice President, Original Programming, Kids, Comedy, Drama. "We're building on the success of this franchise and offering fans even more ways to enjoy the show on all platforms, so they can follow the finalists on their journey from the auditions to the finale."

In addition to the second screen experience, fans will also have access to exclusive content online with two new web series: The Next Star Aftershow and Backstage Pass, hosted by Next Star Nation's Mark "Suki" Suknanan.

As the competition heats up, one lucky contestant who doesn't make the cut, will be given a second chance as a wild card to fly to Toronto and compete with the Top 12, bringing the total number of finalists who advance to the next round to 13. Viewers can look forward to additional elimination twists in Season 6 as well as surprise special guests.

Click here for a sneak peak of the series: http://www.ytv.com/videos/?vid=6wDgaaMFfBsI

About The Next Star
Produced by Tricon Films and Television in association with YTV, The Next Star follows a new group of hopefuls aged 15 and under from across the country, as they vie for the ultimate prize - the title of The Next Star. The Top 6 finalists will all get a taste of the limelight, but only one will take home the coveted title of The Next Star at the Finale, broadcast live from Canada's Wonderland. The Next Star can count some of Canada's hottest talent as alumni, including 2013 JUNO Award nominee and platinum-selling artist Victoria Duffield and fellow JUNO Award nominee and double-platinum artist Alyssa Reid. Also making waves in the Canadian music industry is Season 4 winner Charlie, whose single landed her on Billboard's Top 100 Canadian Emerging Artists' Chart and music video on iTunes' top 10 list.

Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children's book publishing, children's animation and animation software. The Company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), ABC Spark, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CosmoTV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press, Toon Boom and 37 radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

Tricon Films & Television is one of North America's leading producers and distributors. With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Tricon has quickly emerged as a prominent supplier of award-winning factual and scripted programming that continues to be successful around the world. Tricon's distribution arm features a broad catalogue of high quality, multi-platform content including primetime scripted drama and comedy, kids, lifestyle, factual and documentary series and specials. www.triconfilms.com.

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SOURCE: YTV Canada Inc.

For more information, please contact:
Netta Rondinelli / Kate Calder
Corus Entertainment Inc.
[email protected] / [email protected]
416.479.6443 / 416.479.6319

or

Alina Duviner
Unit Publicist for The Next Star 6
[email protected]
416.574.1098