Karaoke on the Maidan (Ukrainian: Караоке на Майдані, lit. Karaoke on the Square) was a Ukrainian music programme and television talent show created by Ihor Kondratiuk and Andrey Kozlov. During its runtime between 1999 and 2019, Karaoke on the Maidan was a popular television programme in Ukraine, scoring well in the ratings.^[1] Its former list of finalists and winners include Tina Karol, Max Barskih, Vitalii Kozlovskyi, Natalia Valevska, Oleksandr Skichko and Taras Topolia.^[2]

After shooting for over twenty years and producing more than a thousand episodes, creator and presenter Ihor Kondratiuk pulled the plug of the show in late 2018.^[3] The source of the cancellation was an ending contract with then broadcaster STB. Meanwhile Kontratiuk felt that the programme had outlived itself and had become old-fashioned.^[4]

The idea for Karaoke on the Maidan was developed by Ihor Kondratiuk and Andrey Kozlov, who were both participants of the Russian television game What? Where? When?. The idea was initially developed for the Moscow regional television station 31st channel. There, it aired as Karaoke on the Arbat.^[5]

In 1999, the idea was brought to Ukraine where it was branded as Karaoke on the Maidan, being primarily shot on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, just past the Kyiv Passage. The song's theme initially was Mikhail Shufutinsky's song "Khreshchatyk", a reference to the Khreshchatyk, on which the programme was shot.^[6] Although the first broadcasts just totally for about 20 minutes, the programme was later stretched to an hour.

Between 2001 and 2002, television station Ukraine aired the programme Karaoke near the Fountain, which was analogue to the Karaoke on the Maidan format shot in Donetsk. In 2002, Kondratiuk, Kozlov and their production company Prime Time started a lawsuit against the television station clamming copyright infringement. The initial lawsuit was lost by Kondratiuk and his production company, but after an appeal, the court agreed that copyright had been violated.^[7]

TV channel 1+1 bought the right to broadcast it on air in 2007. In 2008, CBS earned the right to produce and broadcast the programme until the show's cancellation in January 21, 2010. In 2009, STB earned the right to produce and broadcast the programme until the show's cancellation in early 2019.

During its twenty years on air, the format Karaoke on the Maidan stayed almost identical.

• a crowd of people is gathered on the street and everyone is a potential participant of the game;
• the presenter, Ihor Kondratiuk, starts to sing a song together with the crowd;
• Kondratiuk chooses at his discretion those people who were singing that song better than others for the further game;
• the contestants are allowed to sing a song of their choice;
• among the contestants, the crowd has to elect the ones who will take part in the final episode of the program;
• the finalists are gathering money in the crowd to find out who is the winner;
• the one who has gathered more money is the winner of the episode.