YG Entertainment To Hold Reality Show To Determine Which Boy Band They Will Debut Next, Label CEO Yang Hyun Suk Says

Two bands enter, one band leaves.

That will be the scenario when top K-pop label YG Entertainment, home to Psy, Big Bang and 2NE1, debuts their new reality show, "W.I.N." or "Who Is Next?"

The show pits two rival boy band groups against each other in a winner-takes-all faceoff, according to YG Entertainment founder and CEO Yang Hyun Suk.

"The structure goes like this: the group that wins the most votes from the watchers can make a debut as soon as the program finishes," Yang wrote Friday on the record label's website.

"The loser group may be broken up or face member replacement. Nothing will be predictable."

Although Yang didn't elaborate on which network will broadcast the reality competition, he did reveal that there will be 10 weekly episodes, with the first one premiering in the second week of July.

"The show is produced by subcontracting and we are expecting to air it on national television," he explained.

"We will be cooperating with renowned foreign portal sites for our international fans. Foreign language subtitle service that includes English, Japanese, and Chinese will be provided as well."

The YG Entertainment CEO said he is also working to allow K-pop fans to stream the program on their phone.

"In order to include the expanding market--i.e. the mobile market--we are in negotiation with Kakao Talk to encourage watchers to participate not only through portal sites but also through mobile devices," Yang added.

And for any readers that find the whole thing to be a bit too "Lord of the Flies," the YG label boss claims it is a realistic depiction of the cutthroat world of pop stardom.

"The program may sound harsh, but this is a competition no professional artist can avoid in this field," Yan wrote.

"This will be a program that portrays the reality in the most transparent manner."

The winner between the two groups, who will actually be called WINNER, will make their debut the same day as the season finale of "W.I.N."

If the episodes follow Yang's proposed production schedule, WINNER would debut near the end of August.

In his daily YG Life post, Yang also offered descriptions of the two competing groups, referring to them as Group A and Group B.

"Group A consists of a members whose average age is 20 years old," wrote. "Two of the members in this group are Kang Seung Yoon, whose solo debut date has just been confirmed, and an ex-contestant of 'K-Pop Star,' Lee Seung Hoon."
 
"Group B, on the other hand, is a younger group, with six members whose average age is 17 years old," he added.

"The then 13-year-old little boy rapper, B.I., who [was] featured in MC Mong's 'Indian Boy' in 2009 has been appointed as the leader of this group since he was 14. This year he celebrated his 17th birthday."

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Yang Hyun Suk
YG Entertainment
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