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Simon Cowell to Launch DJ Talent Show

'DJs are the new rock stars,' says 'X Factor' judge

January 25, 2012 1:20 PM ET
simon cowell

Simon Cowell has announced plans to launch a new talent competition searching for the world's best new DJs. The show, which does not yet have a title, will loosely follow the format of Cowell's hit talent shows The X Factor, American Idol and America's Got Talent.

"DJs are the new rock stars. It feels like the right time to make this show," he said in a statement, commenting on the rising popularity of festival-filling EDM acts such as Skrillex, Deadmau5, David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia. Cowell has not gone into detail about the specifics of the show, or how the talents of DJs will be demonstrated and judged on television.

The show will be co-produced by SYCO, Cowell's joint venture with Sony Music, and Overbrook Entertainment, a production company founded by Will Smith. The producers plan to announce their broadcast partners in the United States and Britain in the near future.

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