# The surprising spread of Idol TV

- Institution: TED
- Department: TEDGlobal 2009
- Speaker: Cynthia Schneider
- Year: 2009
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Society and politics, Literature and writing
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/cynthia_schneider_the_surprising_spread_of_idol_tv)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Cynthia Schneider looks at two international "American Idol"-style shows -- one in Afghanistan, and one in the United Arab Emirates -- and shows the surprising effect that these reality-TV competitions are creating in their societies.

## Lectures

1. [The surprising spread of Idol TV](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/cynthia_schneider_the_surprising_spread_of_idol_tv/7fc79e6c5b81), 6 min (TED's player)