SBS “The Show” To Re-Introduce International Fan Voting After Backlash Over New Music Show Win Criteria

SBS MTV recently announced its controversial new win criteria for “The Show”.
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Alicia Valley
Alicia Valley

After facing backlash over a controversial new set of criteria for music show wins, SBS MTV‘s The Show has seemingly U-turned on its original proposal.

Since 2018, the criteria for wins on The Show have been:

  • Digital points (40%)
  • Music video views (20%)
  • Music expert judging (15%)
  • Physical album sales (10%)
  • Live voting for Koreans only (10%)
  • Global pre-voting (5%).
| @sbsmtvtheshow/Instagram

The pre-voting category allowed fans from anywhere in the world to influence a group’s win by casting their votes on the Starplay app. Many music shows use a similar system, but The Show‘s allocated score percentage for pre-voting was already notably lower than the rest. Mnet‘s M Countdown, for example, allocates 10% of the score to global fan voting, while the pre-voting category on MBC‘s Show Champion is worth 20% of the score.

| @sbsmtvtheshow/Instagram

So, when SBS MTV announced that The Show would be following new judging criteria that omitted pre-voting, numerous international fans were furious. According to a tweet from The Show, the new win criteria allocated 15% of the score to Korean-only live voting, removing the global pre-vote and keeping all other categories the same.

Many fans wanted to know SBS MTV’s reasoning for disregarding the artists’ international fanbases, especially given that pre-voting was one of the only ways for fans outside of Korea to help their favorite artists get music show wins.

Others complained that they’d already watched numerous ads on Starplay to collect voting tickets for their favorite groups, accumulating advertising revenue for SBS MTV with no reward.

Some fans had even purchased votes through the app, and SBS MTV gave no word on whether they’d be reimbursed in any way.

Luckily for international fans, the backlash seemed to reach SBS MTV. One day after the criteria changes were announced, the network shared a new announcement. According to their tweet, The Show will be adding “new global voting methods” soon “to better facilitate global fans’ participation“.

Judging by the statement, it seems that the new voting categories are just a temporary replacement while SBS MTV devises an alternative set of criteria that doesn’t include overseas fans. Many were overjoyed to hear that they’d still be able to help their favorite groups rack up wins.

| @sbsmtvtheshow/Instagram

However, others still aren’t happy about the Starplay tickets they’ve saved up. Back in 2019, SBS MTV introduced Starplay as a replacement for their original voting app, Starpass. When voting was discontinued on Starpass, fans lost all the tickets they’d purchased and watched ads for. Now, many disgruntled fans think SBS MTV may be about to pull the same scenario.

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