The media industry has been keenly awaiting Mr Fuller’s next move following
his success with American Idol, the most-watched show in the US for the past
eight years.

The latest venture from his 19 Entertainment group is If I Can Dream, which
will follow the efforts of five young people trying to break into the
entertainment industry. Their every move will be streamed online, with the
audience able to interact with them via video messages and social networking
sites such as MySpace and Twitter.

The debut of the programme online in early 2010 represents a departure from
the way broadcasters have operated for decades. The four US networks – ABC,
CBS, Fox and NBC – often cancel expensive series after only one or two
episodes because of poor viewing figures.

Follow Fuller
However, If I Can Dream will have time to build an audience on the web. If it
suceeds, other producers are likely to follow Mr Fuller on to Hulu – owned
by Fox, ABC and NBC.

“We’re going to see a lot of experimentation going on where content creators
use Hulu to mitigate the risk of the pilot process,” said Jason Kilar, chief
executive of Hulu.

The site has been growing rapidly since its launch two years ago and had 42m
viewers during October.

Mr Fuller said he was determined to “push the boundaries of mainstream
entertainment”.

“The next frontier is the video world of authentic real time interaction,” he
added.

The deal comes as media companies seek to make more content available online.
ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox all broadcast replays of their shows on the web but
have yet to take the plunge by broadcasting original, prime-time programming
online before it appears elsewhere.

If I Can Dream has already attracted commercial backing from Ford and Pepsi
before it has aired, in the latest sign that TV advertisers are warming to
online video.

Hulu in more countries
Hulu, which is only available in the US, is in discussions with its
broadcasting partners about launching the site in several new countries,
including the UK. If I Can Dream will be screened globally via
ificandream.com.

Mr Fuller shot to fame as the pop music mogul who created the Spice Girls. He
also represents David Beckham and master-minded his move from Real Madrid to
the Los Angeles Galaxy.

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