Credits: Shixart1985 / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0.
Launch of Star Academy on October 18, 2025 at 9:10 PM live from Studio 217 (Plaine Saint-Denis), the thirteenth season of Star Academy brings together 17 students around Nikos Aliagas, Karima Charni and the teaching team led by Michael Goldman on TF1. On the agenda: redesigned set, an ABBA anthem in French and a new immunity rule. First verdict: Victor (Star Academy), 24, stands out with “My Way” and wins Star Academy immunity for the week.
What To Remember From The Star Academy Launch
Season 13 immediately set a clear framework: seventeen students, a professor vote that singles out the “best student” and a redesigned scenography to speed up the pace. Victor imposes himself with “My Way,” obtains immunity for October 25, 2025 and becomes the benchmark of the first week. The mechanism, simple on air, structures the drama: anthem, introductions, solos/duets, ranking.
Set, Direction, Dramaturgy: A Prime-Time Writing Embraced
At Studio 217, the 2025 setup favors the image-on-set: giant screen covering the back of the stage, modular stage extending up to the professors’ desk, moving walkway for entrances and large projection curtain. This choice reflects a TV writing that prioritizes continuity: seamless tableaux, tracking shot transitions and smooth candidate flow. The dramaturgy relies on a meritocratic thread: the weekly immunity focuses attention on a performance-anchor, while restoring suspense to the ranking.
On musical direction, the balance aims for controlled eclecticism: heritage standards (Sinatra), recent French pop (Calogero) and international pop (Adele, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga) to anchor talents in contrasting registers. The 2025 anthem, “Voulez-Vous” in a French version, reconnects with federating polyphony. Additionally, it provides a choral setup useful for gauging timbres and section balances.
The Prime’s Musical Highlights
The launch confirmed several lines of force:
- Mehdi establishes a sensitivity with “Prendre racine.”
- Sarah opts for precision on “Someone Like You.”
- Ambre chooses “Entrer dans la lumière,” on piano, for an effective sparseness.
- Duos Théo P. & Léane (“Perfect Duet”), Ema & Lenny (“Love Yourself”), where the aim is harmony rather than one-upmanship.
- Lili/Lily (“Messy”), Léo (French version of “Another Love”), Léa (“Always Remember Us This Way”), Jeanne (“Une autre histoire”), Noah (“Des milliers de je t’aime”) complete the range.
Critical Analysis: Staging, Music, Direction
Staging. The extension of the arch-screen and the walkway to the professors add graphical depth. This allows scale ranges, from tight vocal close-ups to wide choral shots. The presence of a moving walkway energizes entrances without breaking the flow. This approach supports narrative songs (Adele, Kaas) and highlights risk-taking (Ambre’s piano-voice).
Musical direction. The repertoire mix functions as a pedagogical tool: it forces students to adapt phrasing (English/French), breathing, projection. The choice of Sinatra for Victor consolidates the interpretation axis: melodic continuity, support and phrasing carriage are differentiating qualities early in the season.
TV dramaturgy. The immediate reward (immunity) restores a curve to the weekly narrative. It prevents the flattening of primes by refocusing the stakes on the night’s execution. In parallel, the ranking broadens the professors’ feedback palette, more readable for the audience.
What Production and the Professors Say
Producer Mathieu Vergne detailed, during the pre-season press conference, the scale of the set: “brand-new” decor and the background screen enlarged by “one third” for entrances “from the back.” This option explains the visual impact of the first prime notably on ensemble tableaux.
On the teaching side, Jonathan Jenvrin (dance) warned before opening: “I have no idea of their level of dance.” This pedagogical bet of building in public embraces a degree of randomness and feeds the progression narrative.
Star Academy Audiences: What We Know, What To Expect
First overnight estimates for October 18, 2025: around 3.26 million in the first part, and an audience share around 19.6% in the second part. The order of magnitude places the launch in the upper average of musical entertainment for the season.
Useful comparisons: the 2024-2025 finale had gathered about 4.0 million in P1 (i.e. 21.2% on 4+, 32.8% on 25-49 and 32.7% on FRDA-50). The 2025 launch of The Voice ranged between 4.11 million (22.2% in P1) and 4.01 million in P2. At this stage, the volume of Star Academy remains competitive but below an established format like The Voice.
At J+7 and J+30, consolidations are not yet available for the 2025 launch. By benchmark, the channel claimed 4.2 million at J+7 during the 2022 relaunch, with high target peaks (FRDA-50, 25-49). Médiamétrie updates will specify the audience structure (age groups, commercial targets) and the catch-up effect on TF1+.
Broadcasting Economics: A Flagship Entertainment
In 2025, Star Academy remains a flow program: a significant schedule cost but shareable via the daily show, replays and social video. prime-time ad prices can exceed €100,000 for 30 seconds depending on periods and support, which explains the focus on targets (notably 25-49 and FRDA-50). At the same time, TF1+ asserts itself as a catch-up and digital monetization lever. Additionally, the group claims advertising growth.
Legal Framework and Music Rights
Copyright. The broadcast of covers involves SACEM (public performance rights) and, depending on usage, SDRM for reproductions (supports, online excerpts). Channels pay licenses that guarantee remuneration for authors/composers/publishers.
Regulation. Arcom oversees program honesty, pluralism and accessibility (subtitles, audio description). Musical entertainment must respect these principles, including in replay on SMAD.
The Castle And Daily Life
The Château des Vives-Eaux in Dammarie-les-Lys remains the training theater: classes, evaluations, nominations, saves. The daily show orchestrates this long-term chronology and feeds the Saturday prime with a progression narrative.
The Faces And The Setup
Nikos Aliagas leads the prime and frames the narrative on stage. Karima Charni provides feedback and the after-show. Michael Goldman heads the entire teaching team, surrounded by Sofia Morgavi (singing), Marlène Schaff (stage expression), Jonathan Jenvrin (dance) and Alain Degois “Papy” (theater). Pre-season communication announced Charlotte Cardin and Ed Sheeran as godmother/godfather.
What This Return Reveals: A Sociological Perspective
Since 2001, talent shows articulate three promises: democratization of casting, visible training and access to the music industries. Star Academy 2025 fits this continuum by revaluing pedagogy on air (classes, evaluations) and embracing linear/digital hybridization (TF1+, social networks). Success is no longer measured solely by the live broadcast: it depends on consolidations (J+7/J+30), digital reach and the ability to launch careers (contracts, tours, streaming). The inaugural prime, soberly held, indicates a strategy: fewer gratuitous effects, more legible trajectories.