NBC Launching ‘Idol’ Competitor Next Spring

NBC is taking on American Idol and Simon Cowell’s upcoming X Factor with a new singing competition called The Voice of America, based on a Dutch TV show called The Voice of Holland. and its new show will be a collaboration with that show’s creator, John de Mol, and reality-TV vet Mark Burnett, who has executive-produced MTV’s Video Music Awards for the past four years.

NBC is fast-tracking the show and plans to launch it in the spring — before X Factor premieres in the fall, and possibly during the 10th season of Idol.

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The Voice, which premiered earlier this year, has become the top-rated show in the Netherlands. The show’s format is similar to Idol‘s with one significant twist: the four coaches have their backs to singers while they perform. The coaches claim a singer as their student and send them to the next round by pushing a button; the singer picks a coach if he or she is claimed by more than one.

“Somebody will show up with all the right moves and look like a star, but [if] their voice is only good, not great, they don’t get chosen,” Burnett said.

Once the teams are set, coaches will mentor contestants and pit their teams against each other, with viewers voting on the winner.

In the wake of sagging ratings, American Idol has been tweaking its format in recent weeks with new judges, new mentors and new competitive elements in the show.

NBC, Mark Burnett to Launch ‘Idol’ Rival [Hollywood Reporter]