Fabrika Zvyozd (, literally "Factory of stars"), sometimes known internationally as Star Factory, is a popular Russian television talent show that aired on Channel One from 2002 until 2007. It was the Russian version of the Endemol format Operación Triunfo. In 2011, the show announced that it would be returning with an eighth, All-Star season and in 2012 for the ninth season with the format Star Factory: Russia vs. Ukraine. The programme then went on a hiatus for five years before relaunching the tenth season in 2017 broadcast on Muz-TV. Nine out of the ten season were hosted by Yana Churikova and one by Ksenia Sobchak. Fabrika Zvyozd, meaning Star Factory, honoured its name in Russia. From the contestants, called "fabrikanty" (Russian: фабриканты), many have established successful careers in the Russian-language music world. The show's alumni include Polina Gagarina, Fabrika, Zara, Irina Dubtsova, Timati, Yulia Savicheva, Natalia Podolskaya, Dmitry Koldun, Anastasia Prikhodko, and Elena Temnikova. The show also had a tight connection with the Eurovision Song Contest. In total, seven past fabrikanty sang at the contest at some stage between 2004 and 2019. Throughout its runtime, Fabrika Zvyozd was successful in its ratings. In 2006, the show was so popular that producers decided to prolong the season with one whole month mid-season. This decision was regarded controversial, because contestants had to stay inside the house against their wishes for an extra month. The 2017 series was less successful in its ratings and finished its final with a market share of 1.3%. Fabrika Zvyozd gained a cult status in Russia. It was the first real Russian reality music competition and the first reality show on Channel One Russia. Although it was axed in 2007 in favour of Interzvezda, which was later cancelled in its production phase, the show and its contestants stayed popular long after its axing. In 2017, Channel One Russia featured a special two-week special of Segodnya vecherom about Fabrika Zvyozd, celebrating the show's fifteenth anniversary. The episodes mostly focused on the contestants’ fate after the show. In 2020, the show became popular on the internet due to the lockdown in Russia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, Channel One Russia made a four-hour long special broadcast on Fabrika Zvyozd on the television programme Segodnya vecherom, hosted by Maksim Galkin and Yana Churikova. In this programme, a large share of the successful contestants were re-invited