Idols (also known as SuperStar in other countries) is a reality television-music competition format created by British television producer Simon Fuller and developed by FremantleMedia. The format began in 2001 with the British television series Pop Idol; its first adaptation was as the Polish series Idol in 2002. It has since become the world's most widely watched television franchise, as well as one of the most successful entertainment formats, adapted in over 46 regions around the world, with its various versions broadcast to 150 countries. An estimated 6.5 billion viewers around the world have watched variants of the show.