BBC pays £22m for successful U.S. show The Voice to take on the X Factor

By LIZ THOMAS

The BBC has splashed out an astonishing £22million on a reality entertainment show to take on The X Factor in the Saturday night ratings war.


BBC1 controller Danny Cohen signed a two-year deal to secure the UK rights for The Voice, which is already a success in the U.S. and Holland.

The cost to the Corporation is likely to be ramped up still further as it looks to sign up a big-name judging panel. Adele, Robbie Williams, George Michael and Cheryl Cole are among stars being touted for the role.



Cheryl Cole (left) and Adele (right) are being touted as judges for the £22m reality entertainment show, The Voice. The show has a similar format to talent shows such as The X Factor. However, at initial auditions, the judges are unable to see the acts and must base their decisions solely on the artists’ vocal skills.

It focuses more on constructive criticism rather than the pantomime put-downs and rivalry for which the ITV show has become famous. The eventual winner will get a record deal with music giant Universal.
But critics questioned why the BBC was spending such a vast sum on a derivative show at a time when it is supposed to be cutting back.

It is also questionable whether the Corporation, as a public service broadcaster, should be involved in a programme that will inevitably heavily promote Universal and its talent.

Last night the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘The BBC often justifies the licence fee by telling the public that it provides unique content. Spending millions on what viewers might consider to be a rip-off of X Factor risks making a mockery of that claim.’

Senior BBC figures revealed the deal for the show runs until 2014. It is estimated the programme will cost £650,000 an episode to make – which is more than Strictly Come Dancing, but around half ITV’s weekly bill for The X Factor. The length of the series has yet to be finalised.

BBC executives told the Daily Mail its bid was not the highest and ITV had offered more than £30million for the programme.

Mr Cohen said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted that The Voice will be coming to the BBC. It’s a big, exciting and warm-hearted series and will be a fantastic Saturday night event.’

The show is the brainchild of John De Mol, the man behind Big Brother, who said he chose the BBC because the broadcaster ‘shared his passion’ for the series, which he described as the ‘new generation of the [reality] show genre’.

Sources close to Miss Cole said she was ‘taking time out’ after being axed from the U.S. X Factor and had not been in discussions about The Voice.

But it is understood the BBC and Mr Cohen are keen to work with the singer.