News

Idols may be axed after SMS voting fiasco causes public relations disaster for M-Net

May 09, 2009 Edition 2

Candice Bailey

Idols might be canned.

The future of the reality TV show hangs in the balance this weekend after a controversy over late cellphone votes resulted in the wrong finalist winning.

Sunday's finale had to be re- tallied this week after it was found that around 600 000 SMS votes which were sent before the 6.05pm cut-off time were received later and never counted.

Cape Town's Sasha-Lee Davids was announced as the winner, to widespread disbelief among fans.

Then, yesterday, auditors revealed that her runner-up, Jason Hartman, had received 200 000 more votes.

M-Net, which runs the reality show, however decided that despite Hartman's near-10 percent lead over Davids, there would be joint winners this year. Both contestants will now receive Citroen iPlay cars valued at R145 000 as well as a contract with Sony BMG and all the other sponsored prizes.

Hartman received 1.3 million votes and Davids 1.1 million.

Yesterday Theo Erasmus, M-Net's channel director of general entertainment, said the marketing disaster made it unlikely there would ever be another Idols competition again.

He told the Saturday Star the pay station would not even dare try it again unless it was certain that the voting mechanism was reliable and stable.

M-Net is investigating why there was a delay with the SMSes.

Its staff are working with cellphone network providers Cell C, MTN and Vodacom, as well as its own service provider, Grapevine Interactive.

Cellphone companies have been quick to distance themselves from the furore.

Vodacom spokeswoman Dot Field said their preliminary investigation showed it had been "business as usual" for them on Sunday.

She said the network could handle around 12 000 SMSes a second.

Steve Boiles, executive head of networks at Cell C, said all SMSes went through their system without delay as it was less than 2 percent of their normal volume.

He blamed Grapevine.

But Grapevine marketing director Neil Hutchinson said they were still busy with investigations.

M-Net CEO Patricia Scholtemeyer refused to speculate on the cause of the delays and said M-Net would make a statement next week once it had confirmed where the problem was.

"We acknowledge that it is a most unusual situation… The issue arose out of the sheer number of votes. It is not as if one of the finalists had a clear win. We saw how the votes were split and we and Fremantle are very comfortable with the decision."

Hartman, who had said from the onset he would share the crown with Davids, said the decision would mean they would always be remembered.

A quiet Davids tried to keep up a brave face at the press conference.

"While I was on the stand I was expecting them to call Jason's name. I kind of knew something was not right," she said.