Simon Cowell Renews Multi-Year Deal to Return as a Judge on AMERICA'S GOT TALENT

Simon Cowell, the creator of the global "Got Talent" franchise, the biggest TV format in history and whose opinion on any act can have enormous impact, has renewed his multi-year deal with NBC as a judge on the juggernaut hit series "America's Got Talent."

He'll remain an executive producer on the series.

Cowell became a judge on "America's Got Talent" for season 11 in 2016, joining Howie Mandel, Mel B and Heidi Klum. His influence on the judges' table is profound and can shape global careers.

"Simon Cowell is an extraordinary showman whose success stories over the years on multiple continents speak for themselves," said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Reality Group, NBC Entertainment. "We are thrilled that he will continue as a judge on 'America's Got Talent' and that his stewardship of the franchise will go forward for many years to come."

"Few people have impacted the world of entertainment as significantly as Simon Cowell," said Trish Kinane, FremantleMedia NORTH AMERICA President of Entertainment Programming. "He knows what it takes to find and nurture talent, and he knows how to entertain an audience, creating enduring and much-loved formats. We look forward to continuing our creative partnership."

"I want to thank NBC for their continued passion and belief for 'America's Got Talent' over the past few years," Cowell said. "Without NBC, we wouldn't be making 'Got Talent' and I'm very proud to work with them. Together, with a fantastic production team, we have been able to attract the best talent in the world. I'm very excited for the next few years."

"America's Got Talent" is once again dominating the summer television landscape, averaging a 3.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 14.6 million viewers overall in "live plus seven day" results from Nielsen Media Research. In "live plus same day" averages, "AGT" has ranked as the #1 entertainment show of the week in 18-49 and total viewers every week it's aired an original episode so far this summer, and in "most current" Nielsens, is towering over all other summer programming, holding advantages of +40% in adult 18-49 rating and more than +5.2 million persons or +60% over the #2 shows on those respective summer rankers.

Furthermore, as cited by Nielsen Social Content Ratings, "America's Got Talent" is the #1 Social Reality TV Series of the summer and the #1 Social Tuesday broadcast TV program of the summer, with over 1.5 billion video views total for season 13 so far. Global online audiences have spent 6.6 trillion hours watching "Got Talent" clips from its shows around the world.

Cowell will also serve as a judge and executive producer on "America's Got Talent: The Champions," which will launch this winter and air on Mondays between seasons of "The Voice."

The series will bring together the most talented, memorable, wackiest and all-around favorites from past seasons of "AGT" for the ultimate display of talent. Additionally, some of the most popular acts from the other global "Got Talent" franchises, spanning 194 territories, will come to share their talents and compete against one other.

"America's Got Talent" Season 12 winner Darci Lynne Farmer received the most votes ever for a finale show in "AGT" history and won viewers over with her incredible performances alongside her puppets Oscar and Petunia. Season 12 also set massive records across digital platforms, garnering more than 2.6 billion views on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter combined. With her "AGT" win in hand, Farmer is currently touring around the country.

Season 11 winner Grace VanderWaal released her first EP, "Perfectly Imperfect," in 2016, which became the highest-selling EP of that year. Her "Got Talent" audition video was one of the top trending videos of that year and currently has more than 135 million views.

Past "AGT" highlights include first-ever magician winner Mat Franco, who in 2014 went on to headline the "America's Got Talent Live" stage show as well as the "Magic Reinvented Nightly" stage show - both held in Las Vegas. Another fan favorite was the season seven winner Olate Dogs in 2012. Led by Richard Olate and his son Nicholas, this high-energy, fast-paced dog act was an audience favorite filled with unbelievable pet tricks.

"America's Got Talent" and "Got Talent" was created and is co-owned by Cowell and Syco's co-producers FremantleMedia North America. Cowell, Sam Donnelly, Jason Raff, Trish Kinane and Richard Wallace are the executive producers.

ABOUT SIMON COWELL and SYCO ENTERTAINMENT

Simon Cowell is a record company executive, a television and film producer, and a global entertainment icon. Renowned for his eye for talent and candid opinions, Simon has completely transformed popular culture through his show business enterprise. In 2004, Syco Entertainment was formed as part of Cowell's new Sony Music partnership. Syco Entertainment is one of the world's leading global music, film, and TV production companies and is responsible for some of the most successful global music and TV franchises. Artists signed to Syco Music include One Direction, Camila Cabello, Little Mix, Louis Tomlinson, PRETTYMUCH, Labrinth, James Arthur, CNCO, Grace VanderWaal, and many more. Syco's television assets include two worldwide record-breaking shows: THE X FACTOR and the world's biggest TV format, Got Talent. Both formats have launched more global superstars than any other talent show in history.

Cowell first appeared on television as a judge on the UK talent show Pop Idol. He launched AMERICAN IDOL in 2002, where he led the judging panel for eight years and saw such stars as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood launch their careers.

The X Factor, created by Cowell, premiered in 2004 in the UK on ITV and has since gone on to be a television phenomenon, airing in 178 territories and being locally commissioned in 55 territories. THE X FACTOR has created more international music careers than any other television format, including Fifth Harmony and One Direction. Artists discovered by the show have sold more than 500-million records worldwide, including 250 No. 1s, and 450 Top 10 records.

As well as being a judge on The X Factor, Cowell created the "Got Talent" format and is a judge on Britain's Got Talent and America's Got Talent. The Got Talent format is officially the world's most successful TV format of all time, airing in 194 territories worldwide and holding the Guinness World Records title for the highest number of adaptations, having been commissioned in 70 territories globally. America's Got Talent is in its 13th season and continues to be the No. 1 summer series year after year. Last season was the most watched season of America's Got Talent ever with an average of more than 20-million viewers per episode.

In 2017, Syco Music was named Music Week's Record Label of the year and is home to internationally successful artists who have sold more than 380 million records to date. Such artists include Camila Cabello, whose hit single 'Havana' went No. 1 in a total of 80 countries, and is the most streamed song by any lead female in history. Syco's artist roster also includes One Direction, who have sold more than 150-million records worldwide, have headlined four sold-out world tours, selling more than 10-million tickets in total. Additionally, Syco is home to Little Mix, who have sold more than 43-million records worldwide, and have eight platinum selling singles. Cowell teamed up with Univision Communication to create the television show La Banda. The winning group, named CNCO, is the biggest Latin boyband in the world. CNCO released their first album, "Primera Cita," which became the No. 1 Latin debut album for all of 2016.

Cowell has consistently been honored for his contributions to entertainment. In 2014, he was awarded MipCom's Personality of the Year Award. In addition, Cowell has received The Rose d'Or Golden Jubilee Award and BAFTA's Special Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry. He has also been awarded the International Emmy Founders Award. In total, television shows created by Cowell have received 24 awards including eight National Television Awards and six BAFTAs. In 2015, Cowell was honored with the Music Industry Trusts Award, the British music industry's most prestigious accolade, in recognition of his contributions to the industry and many charitable causes.

Throughout his career, Cowell has remained a devoted supporter of many charities and causes. Cowell is a patron of Together For Short Lives, The Katie Piper Foundation and the Linda Blair Sacred Heart Foundation, as well as an Ambassador for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Simon is also a supporter of The Association for Children's Hospices, Against Breast Cancer, The Health Lottery, Save The Children, Comic Relief, Battersea Dogs Home, RSPCA, The K9 Angels, PETA, Hope Sanctuary Barbados, and Help For Heroes.

ABOUT FREMANTLEMEDIA NORTH AMERICA

FremantleMedia NORTH AMERICA (FMNA) is the U.S. arm of global media giant FremantleMedia. A powerhouse in scripted and non-scripted content, FremantleMedia also comprises a distribution arm, FremantleMedia International, as well as a digital and branded entertainment division. As one of the world's largest and most successful creators, producers and distributors of TV brands in the world, FremantleMedia's comprehensive global network has operations in 31 countries, creating over 10,000 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 45 formats and managing over 350 individual titles. The company also distributes more than 20,000 hours of content in over 200 territories. For more information follow us @FMNATV and visit our Facebook page.

Photo Credit: Trae Patton/NBC

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