Moon&Back Media, Korea’s SM Partner on Boy Band Talent Show

Moon&Back Media, led by Nigel Hall, Dawn Airey and Russ Lindsay, has partnered with K-pop entertainment company SM Entertainment on a project to launch a new U.K. boy band.

SM Entertainment has launched several successful Korean music groups, including NCT, aespa, SuperM, Red Velvet, RIIZE and more. Moon&Back, which received an investment from Asylum Entertainment Group this year, is led by Hall (Britain’s Got Talent, The X Factor), Airey (Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, Sky) and talent manager Lindsay (Ant & Dec, Simon Cowell).

The series’ executive team includes Ben Karter (The Script, Westlife, Taylor Swift), producer and showrunner James McKinlay (X Factor, America’s Got Talent) and EP David Hall (Deal or No Deal, The Chase, The Greatest Dancer).

Preproduction for the series, which will be shot in the U.K. and South Korea, is underway. A broadcast partner has not yet been announced.

Joseph Chang, CEO of SM & Kakao Entertainment America, said, “This collaboration signifies our first footprint in Europe. Our expansion blueprint will continue to span across North and South America, Europe and other pivotal markets, leveraging SM Entertainment’s vast artist roster and extensive networks for unprecedented synergies ahead. We are thrilled to partner with power players who were critical in the creation and success of One Direction, and together we are aiming to find that next global sensation.”

Airey added: “Take one of the world’s best entertainment producers and combine it with the world’s best K-pop producer and watch the magic unfold. This is a global first, creating a British boy band and exposing them to the wonders and rigors of the premier K-pop process with SM Entertainment. This alchemy will create compelling television and a boy band that will entertain the world.”