Produce 48: Profiles [P101 S3]

Produce 48

"Produce 48" is an upcoming collaboration between the producers of "Produce 101" and AKB48, and will feature female contestants from both South Korea and Japan. Trainees from both countries will be competing for spots in a single group.

Sources have also revealed that the producers are already in the process of selecting the trainees, stating, "Mnet's 'Produce 48' has begun meeting with female trainees in Korea and Japan. Producing director Ahn Joon Young, who headed Seasons 1 and 2 (of 'Produce 101') is currently going back and forth between the countries as part of pre-production."

"Produce 48", which was officially announced through a teaser aired during the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) in Japan, is a collaboration between Mnet and AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto. They're collaborating with him to prepare a show that will present new experiences to Korean and Japanese viewers as well as music fans. The project will combine the "Produce 101" voting system (where viewers select which idols will debut) with AKB48's "Idols you can meet" concept, which involves the idols performing live in their own designated theater.

The survival show will reportedly feature contestants from several of the agencies that participated in the first two seasons of "Produce 101", as well as trainees from new companies.

"Produce 48" is scheduled to air sometime in the middle of this year, and this AKB48 and "Produce 101" collaboration is said to be a program that will be on an unprecedented scale.

via Soompi

MHS: Stay tuned for more updates!