Deutschland sucht den Superstar / DSDS / the German American Idol

Deutschland sucht den Superstar (German for "Germany seeks the superstar") is a German television program, also commonly known by its initials DSDS. It is the German version of the Idols franchise, broadcast on RTL. (RTL owns the franchise worldwide.)

The producers were not allowed to use the words "pop" or "idol" in the title (Frank Farian has held title rights to "idol" since the 1970s in Germany, and a deal with the creators of Popstars forbids the use of the word "pop" for Pop Idol editions outside the UK, henceforth "(regional) Idol" in other countries).

The first season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar debuted without a lot of hype in October 2002 on the RTL network. The show's co-hosts were Swiss actress Michelle Hunziker and former soap opera actor Carsten Spengemann, and the jury consisted of music producer, composer and half of former duo Modern Talking, Dieter Bohlen, radio host Thomas Bug, British music journalist Shona Fraser, and the former president of BMG Germany, Thomas M. Stein. (Bertelsmann is the majority owner of RTL, which owns the franchise, show, and network in Germany.)

Through word of mouth generated by the appeal of its contestants and the presence of Bohlen's acid-tongued commentary, the show grew into a phenomenon ending with a finale viewed by an estimated twelve million viewers in March 2003. Following such a success, the second season was moved to air the upcoming fall during the higher profile 2003 fall schedule. The number of episodes increased, as did the show's budget and the charge for commercial spots.