The winning 12 contestants, with no nationality caps, as voted only by Korean viewers, would promote as a group for two years and six months.

[3] Formed as a collaboration between Mnet and Yasushi Akimoto, the project planned to adopt the AKB48's concept of "idols you can meet and greet" and be able to perform in a designated theatre.

The viewer-submitted votes were then applied and the girls were ranked, with certain episodes being elimination rounds to reduce the remaining number of contestants.

[5] The concept for Produce 48 was revealed at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Japan on November 29, 2017, following a joint performance by AKB48 and South Korean artists Weki Meki, Chungha, Pristin, Idol School and Fromis 9.

[15][16] The series was broadcast on tvN Asia in Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar where it premiered on June 21, 2018.

The episode then flashes back to the guerilla concert held by the top 20 girls in Japan, where they performed the theme song from the show, with NGT48's Yamada Noe acting as the MC.

Lee Seung-gi had also showed the contenders for 12th position during the live voting which were Takeuchi Miyu, Kim Chaewon, Han Cho-won and Honda Hitomi.

[79][80] On August 20, 2019, a search warrant was issued on CJ E&M offices and a text voting company by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

[84] Police also found that Ahn had been using services from adult entertainment establishments in Gangnam paid for by various talent agencies approximately 40 times beginning from the second half of 2018, estimating to ₩100 million.

The court revealed that the fourth round of voting of the show was manipulated, with trainees Lee Gaeun (14th) and Han Chowon (13th) supposed to be in the 5th and 6th place, respectively.