BBC reveals download plans for new talent show, The Voice

Monday June 20, 2011

By Ben Cardew

The BBC is working on plans to make all songs performed on its newly-acquired talent show The Voice available to download directly after the programme airs.

The Corporation confirmed yesterday that the show in which contestants perform popular songs in an attempt to win a record contract, is coming to BBC One next year.

The Voice has already been a massive hit in the US, debuting on NBC in April with 12m viewers, and it is expected to repeat this success in the UK.

The twist in the talent competition format The Voice offers is that it starts with a “blind audition” in which singers are heard but not seen. This is then followed by a “battle phase” in which members of each team battle against each other by singing the same song and then live performances shows.

Songs performed in the show’s first season in the US include Adele’s Rolling In The Deep, The Script’s Breakeven and Jessie J’s Pricetag.

The eventual winner in the US will receive a recording contract with Universal Republic and it is understood that UK champion will receive a contract with one of Universal UK’s labels, although the BBC said it is too early to talk about contracts.

One radical difference, however, with the UK show is that the BBC intends to make all songs performed on the night available to download for free – or with all proceeds going to charity – for seven days. They will then be release commercially after that.

The decision to sell music from talent shows directly after they air was pioneered in the UK by Sky’s Must Be The Music last year, resulting in top 10 hits for the likes of Emma’s Imagination and Pepper And Piano.


The X Factor then followed suit, although its downloads were not chart registered and it is unknown how many were sold.


In the US The Voice has four musician judges – Cee-Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and country singer Blake Shelton. The BBC is keeping tight-lipped on who the judges will be in the UK, although Cheryl Cole is widely tipped to take on a similar role after departing X Factor US.


BBC one controller Danny Cohen said the show would be “big, exciting and warm-hearted series and will be a fantastic Saturday night event on BBC One".


The Voice was developed by John de Mol’s Talpa Media company. It first debuted in The Netherlands as The Voice Of Holland in 2010 and had an immediate impact on the charts there: 30 of the show’s single reached the top 100 of the download charts, with winner Ben Saunders scoring two number one hits.


As well as the UK, local versions of The Voice are set to air in Belgium, Germany, Ukraine, Turkey and France.


John de Mol said, "The Voice stands for a new generation in its genre and I'm delighted that in the UK it has been picked up by the BBC who really share my passion and belief in the show."