{"rewrite":{"id":"r_116c98eb401456973ec6a73d","clusterId":"c_a0efe3a57526b0d56563d63d","slug":"htc-launches-virtual-idol-audition-program-vpop-asia","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"HTC Launches Virtual Idol Audition Program VPOP ASIA","summary":"HTC's XR content production company VIVE ORIGINALS has officially launched the virtual idol audition program 'VPOP ASIA'. The program began airing on July 18 on Taiwan's TVBS Entertainment Channel and CATCHPLAY+, and from July 23 it will stream every Thursday at 21:00 Japan Time on the VPOP ASIA official YouTube and Twitch channels. The show combines virtual production, Chinese-language pop music, and digital IP, featuring newly arranged versions of 120 classic Chinese-language songs from the past 30 years. Fifteen virtual trainees participate, with 29 musicians, artists, and producers from the Chinese-language music scene serving as judges and production staff. The host is Taiwanese entertainer Lulu (Huang Lu Ziyin), marking her first time co-starring with virtual idols. Japanese VTuber Kson makes a special appearance. Production took one and a half years. VIVE ORIGINALS General Manager Liu Siming stated the goal is not to recreate nostalgia but to create the future, positioning the program as a platform for expanding virtual entertainment collaboration across Asia.","whyItMatters":"The program represents a major push by a hardware company (HTC) into content production, using its own virtual production technology to bridge Chinese-language pop music with virtual idol culture across TV, OTT, and streaming platforms.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe program uses motion capture technology, where real performers wearing motion-capture equipment express the movements of the virtual characters on stage. Because the performers are not visible on the recording set, host Lulu had to check the positions, heights, and interaction timing of the virtual characters through monitors, conducting conversations, high-fives, and hugs while reacting to the empty space. After seeing the completed footage, Lulu said, \u0026#34;Has our technology already evolved this far?\u0026#34; The judges on set were also surprised by the real-time motion capture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwenty-nine musicians, artists, and producers from the Chinese-language music scene participate as rotating judges, evaluating the virtual trainees on composition, production, singing, stage performance, and marketability. The band performing on set is also real. VIVE ORIGINALS General Manager Liu Siming described the program as a \u0026#34;fast pass\u0026#34; for Taiwan\u0026#39;s virtual entertainment to go global, defining a new form that combines Chinese-language music trends and technology, and opening a path for pop music content development that is \u0026#34;high-tech and fully digital.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLiu emphasized: \u0026#34;What we are doing is not recreating nostalgia, but creating the future.\u0026#34; The program aims to create new entertainment experiences for the next generation by inheriting Chinese-language pop music culture while incorporating new character expressions. VIVE ORIGINALS plans to use \u0026#34;VPOP ASIA\u0026#34; as a starting point to expand collaboration opportunities to Asia and the global market, working with content platforms, music industry players, entertainment brands, and overseas creators.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"VIVE ORIGINALS is betting that Chinese-language pop music, not Japanese or Korean, is the bridge for virtual idol growth across ASIA. The 120-song catalog from the past 30 years is the infrastructure.","twitterPost":"VPOP ASIA uses 120 classic Chinese-language songs as its foundation, betting local pop heritage drives virtual idol adoption across ASIA.","threadsPost":"VPOP ASIA's 120-song catalog of Chinese-language classics from the past 30 years is the core asset. VIVE ORIGINALS is betting that regional pop heritage, not Japanese or Korean templates, is what scales virtual idols across ASIA.","newsletterBlurb":"HTC's VIVE ORIGINALS has launched VPOP ASIA, a virtual idol audition program that reinterprets 120 classic Chinese-language songs with motion-captured virtual performers. The show airs on TV and streams on YouTube and Twitch, featuring host Lulu and a special appearance by VTuber Kson.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"MoguLive\",\"url\":\"https://www.moguravr.com/vpop-asia/\",\"title\":\"HTC Launches Virtual Idol Program 'VPOP ASIA', VTuber Kson Makes Special Appearance\"},{\"source\":\"PANORA\",\"url\":\"https://panora.tokyo/archives/149378\",\"title\":\"HTC Officially Launches Virtual Idol Audition Program \\\"VPOP ASIA\\\", Full Episode Streaming from 7/23 21:00\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":11297,"outputTokens":1272,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1784775467,"createdAt":"2026-07-23T02:49:11.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-23T02:50:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-23T02:49:11.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_a0efe3a57526b0d56563d63d","canonicalTitle":"HTC、バーチャルアイドルオーディション番組 「VPOP ASIA」を正式始動　7/23 21時より全編配信","representativeArticleId":"a_ae98f15fa9f2cb14e4675601","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"VPOP ASIA\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"vtuber\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-22T07:15:15.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-23T01:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-23T02:50:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"MoguLive","url":"https://www.moguravr.com/vpop-asia/","title":"HTC、バーチャルアイドル番組『VPOP ASIA』始動、VTuber Ksonが特別出演"},{"source":"PANORA","url":"https://panora.tokyo/archives/149378","title":"HTC、バーチャルアイドルオーディション番組 「VPOP ASIA」を正式始動　7/23 21時より全編配信"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["VPOP ASIA"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"announcement","domain":"vtuber","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["VPOP ASIA began airing on July 18, 2026 on Taiwan's TVBS Entertainment Channel and CATCHPLAY+.","From July 23, 2026, the program streams every Thursday at 21:00 Japan Time on YouTube and Twitch.","Fifteen virtual trainees perform newly arranged versions of 120 classic Chinese-language songs from the past 30 years.","Twenty-nine musicians, artists, and producers from the Chinese-language music scene participate as judges and production staff.","Production took one and a half years, led by VIVE ORIGINALS General Manager Liu Siming."]}