The first season was hosted by
Amelia "Ata" Natasha and
Daniel Mananta, both from
Indonesian Idol, and ''
Malaysian Idol's''
Soo Kui Jien. Each participating country had its own system of determining its representative. As a kickoff to
Asian Idol, all six contestants were introduced through a special presentation called
Road to Asian Idol on 8 December 2007. It also featured performances by
Rivermaya,
Peterpan. Gold background indicates the winner of the competition and the songs performed.
Voting procedures There are several differences in voting and tabulation between
Asian Idol and other
Idol shows. Unlike the latter wherein the viewers get to vote for one contestant, the voting procedure for
Asian Idol requires viewers to send
SMS votes for two favorite Idols, thus allowing contestants to receive votes aside from their respective countries. As consideration on population size among the participating countries, tabulation of votes are done through an "Equal and Even Cumulative Method", wherein the total votes of each country are converted into percentages. The winner was said to be determined through 50% viewers' votes and 50% judges' scores, but this was not confirmed during the program.
Partial results Daniel Hartono, project manager of
Asian Idol, revealed during a press conference that Mohede received the highest number of actual votes at approximately one million in total. However, because of the show's voting process where 50% of votes per country goes to the second option Idol, Mohede's votes were slashed by half and total percentages of votes from other participating countries were added. Hady, meanwhile, got the highest number of "second option votes". In total, Hady got 115% while Mohede is in second place with 111% and Victor got the fewest votes. The rankings of other contestants were not revealed.
Telecast schedule To address differences in time zones (and in some cases, telecast dates), shows about
Asian Idol was broadcast on different time slots and dates depending on the country. For instance, viewers in Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia, watched
Road to Asian Idol on 8 December 2007, while it was shown in Vietnam on 9 December 2007. Viewers in India and Singapore watched the preview program on 14 December 2007. The Performance Night was taped on 12 December 2007, in Hall D2 of
Arena Pekan Raya Jakarta. This program was seen first by viewers in Vietnam on 14 December 2007, followed by viewers in other participating countries on 15 December 2007, although in different time slots depending on time zones. The Results Show, meanwhile, was shown "live" on 16 December 2007, with varying time slots, depending on time zones. A day later, they visited the
presidential palace of Indonesia's President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in
Bogor. There were reports of disrupted voting lines the Philippines, making SMS votes delayed by as much as eight hours until the morning of 16 December 2007. According to representatives of ABC, the Philippine broadcaster of
Asian Idol, the glitch was caused by "a clog in the telephone companies".
Reactions Hady Mirza's win came as a surprise, as at least three of the judges predicted that the winner would either be Marcelo, Mohede, or Victor. There were claims that Hady may have gotten the crucial second vote outside of his home country, wherein it is claimed that votes for strong candidates were paired with weak ones like Hady and Sawant who were trailing in Asian Idol's online survey. In Singapore, the victory stirred hopes of a revival of the country's golden age of music during the 1960s and 70's.
Taufik Batisah, first season winner of
Singapore Idol, said that the win is something their country should be proud of and hopefully this would "open the eyes and ears" of listeners. However, there were viewers in Singapore who still doubt Hady's singing ability, claiming that his performance in
Asian Idol was not as strong as other competitors and it was a matter of "luck over talent".
Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim reiterated that "looks and voice" had won the title for Hady. ==Season 2==