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Mark Burnett to launch Idol rival

Mark Burnett will team with John de Mol and NBC to launch a new US singing contest based on a Dutch format, The Voice.

Survivor producer Mark Burnett will team with John de Mol and NBC to launch a new US singing contest that takes aim at American Idol and The X Factor.

NBC has acquired the rights to The Voice of Holland, a format created by reality TV pioneer and media mogul de Mol. Since debuting earlier this year, The Voice has become a top-rated show in the Netherlands, with one report claiming its 3 million viewers make it the most-watched talent show in Dutch TV history. It has even displaced the Dutch versions of Idol and The X Factor as the country’s top-rated talent competition.

The competition’s format is similar to Idol, but even closer to X Factor, with some notable differences from both.

The Voice has a panel of four coaches who also have careers as popular performing artists. During the audition rounds, the coaches sit in rotating chairs with their backs to the contestants, so they can only hear the singers, not see them. If they like the performance, they push a button, sending the contestant to the next round and claiming the contestant as one of their students. If more than one coach likes a contestant, the singers gets to choose who will be his/her coach.

“Somebody will show up with all the right moves and look like a star, but their voice is only good, not great, and they don’t get chosen,” Burnett said. “You’re dealing only with your sense of hearing — do you believe this voice is worthy of your commitment? The coaches have skin in the game and will be a part of the careers of these young performers after the show.”

Once the teams are set, coaches will mentor contestants and pit their teams against each other, with viewers voting on the winner. The final performance phase of the competition will air live.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

7 Responses

  1. So basically it’s X Factor, the only difference being where the chairs are facing? The singing talent show is such a tired format and this team approach (of both shows) seems to care more about stroking the egos of the judges/mentors than about the talent of the contestants.

  2. So over all these sill ‘talent’ shows that barely have any talent in them.

    Going by hearing only would have to cause problems wouldn’t it?

    No matter how much you want to be nice and fair to everyone, the music biz is cutthroat and if you don’t look the part you will fade to obscurity pretty quickly.

  3. The Voice is one of the most-watched Sunday night shows on Hong Kong TV since its debut in 2009, attracting around 1.8 million viewers each week on local Cantonese-language station TVB Jade. Unlike the original Dutch format, the HK version has a songwriter as one of the four judges. The contestants compete as individuals and sometimes have to compete against guest singers from China and Taiwan.

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