Popstars was an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the Idol franchise, Popstars first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl group TrueBliss. Despite all shows in the Popstars franchise having been off air in recent years, it remains one of the most successful TV show formats of all time with the format being sold to more than 50 countries, producing successful artists such as Girls Aloud that dominated the UK charts for the next ten years after winning. The show was the inspiration for Simon Fuller's Idols franchise.