HCM City (VNA) - Vietnam will get itsown mega girl group of 48 members in the J-pop style of the popular AKB48 inJapan.

The group is expected to debut before the end ofthe year in Ho Chi Minh City with the name SGO48. A casting programme willbegin at the end of this month, according to the organiser’s Facebook page.

SGO48 will be the seventh overseas version ofAKB48 to be formed, after Jakarta-based JKT48, Bangkok’s BNK48, Taipei’s TPE48,Manila’s MNL48 and Mumbai-based MUM48.

The project was established after Vietnam’sentertainment network Yeah1 Group and SGO48’s representative company signed ajoint venture agreement with two Japanese companies in June, in a quest toreplicate the business model behind Japan’s mega popular AKB48 girl group,according to asia.nikkei.com.

In partnership with AKS Co. and Geo Brain, Yeah1will develop groups as well as businesses to promote sales of albums, tickets,images and accessories, Nikkei reported.

"This is a new model for Vietnam’sentertainment industry," said Yeah1 Group Chairman Nguyen Anh Nhuong Tong.

"With the support and experience of [our]Japanese partners, we will bring more Vietnamese entertainers onto theinternational stage."

The venture’s first girl band is expected todebut before the end of the year, Tong told Nikkei.

Yeah1 said it planned to expand to otherSoutheast Asian countries. It will target Thailand, the Philippines andIndonesia via a mergers and acquisitions strategy.

The company said its girl band joint venturewould cooperate with Universal Music Group in commercialising content. Plansare to distribute songs and videos on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music,YouTube and Vevo.

Also in the works for Yeah1 is UM ChannelVietnam, which will showcase Vietnamese artists to a global audience.

AKB48 was founded in 2005 by Yasushi Akimoto, arenowned producer of top Japanese idol groups. He searched Akihabara to findmembers who are innovative, because the area was famous for being energetic.The "AKB" name comes from Akihabara, which is their home ground.

The group debuted in January 2009 and has becomepopular for its concept of ‘Idols you can meet every day.’

They hold "handshake events" wherefans who buy a CD single of the group can get a ticket and get the chance tomeet a member and shake her hand for ten seconds.-VNA