| MUMBAI:
US broadcaster NBC is teaming up with reality show producers John de Mol Big
Brother, Fear Factor and Mark Burnett Survivor, The Apprentice
and unscripted TV producers Warner Horizon Televisio to present a singing competition
show, The Voice of America. The
show premieres on NBC next year.
The
Voice of America is modeled after the Dutch version of the show. The television
audience will also have a say in determining the competition's finalists, as they
vie for the grand prize of a recording contract. Four
celebrity artists each will form teams of singers that they will coach and mentor
throughout the competition. Individuals will be eliminated until each celebrity
only has one team member left who will compete in the finals to be named The
Voice of America in a live finale. And
to guarantee that the celebrities pick the best of the best, the series introduces
a unique twist -- the initial audition process is blind; coaches can only hear
the singer but cannot see them. NBC
and Universal Media Studios executive VP, alternative programming Paul Telegdy,
said, "This show truly focuses on amazing voices,. The celebrity coaches
are passionate about discovering, developing and nurturing new talent. As soon
as we saw the Dutch format, we knew this was completely different and really exciting."
"The
Voice of America" represents the initial series to be developed out of the
new relationship between Warner Horizon Television (WHTV) and Talpa Media. The
two companies announced an agreement earlier this year in which WHTV would develop
new programmes for the US television market place based upon successful formats
created and owned by Talpa. The
show's format features three stages of competition. The first begins with the
blind audition, then the competition enters into a battle phase, and finally,
the live performance shows. In
the final performance phase of the competition, the top contestants from each
team will compete against each other during a live broadcast. The television audience
will vote to select who will move on from each team and who will be eliminated.
At last,
each coach will have their best contestant left standing to compete in the finale.
From these four, one will be named The Voice of America and will receive
the grand prize of a recording contract. | 
