‘Birth Of A Star' Under Fire For Copying 'Produce 101', Mnet Addresses Chinese Program

Anyone who has been following the reality-competition television show, “Produce 101" will know how popular the program is. The show has pitted hundreds of trainees against each other to pick the final winners and debut them in a new group. The refreshing concept of the show attracted fans all over the world as well as other networks to produce similar shows.

A Chinese program called “Birth of A Star” is recently under fire for plagiarizing “Produce 101”. The program aired from November 2016 to January 2017 on the Chinese site called IQIYI. The program was not just similar in any way but copied the South Korean program even to the smallest details. Photos from the two programs were revealed and they were compared, showing the uncanny resemblance of the highlights and segments, which included the logo, the show’s format, stage setting, layout of the rankings, and even the hidden camera prank specials.

“Birth of A Star” also produced a song titled “Push Me”, which is candidly similar to the iconic song from “Produce 101” titled “Pick Me”. Copying the elimination format of “Produce 101”, 8 winners debuted from the Chinese program. According to Allkpop, representatives from Mnet are currently looking into this matter. Mnet revealed that they never sold the licensing rights to China so they are trying to find the production company behind the Chinese show. Other countries are required to acquire licenses to a Korean show or drama series before they can air them or use them in any way.

The only difference between the two shows is that the Chinese program has pitted both male and female trainees against each other. “Produce 101” has allotted different seasons for its male and female participants. However, this mere difference could not outweigh the huge resemblance with the original South Korean program. Mnet kicked off the second season of “Produce 101” and is nearing its end as there are only 20 trainees left.