Simon Cowell To Receive BAFTA's Special Award 6 June

On Sunday 6 June 2010, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts will present Simon Cowell with the Special Award at its annual Television Awards ceremony. In the gift of the Academy, the Award is being presented to Cowell in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry and for his development of new talent.

Chair of the BAFTA Television Committee, John Willis, said: "The Academy is delighted to be presenting Simon Cowell with this Special Award. Over the past few years he has not only helped change the entertainment landscape but has re-invented Saturday night family entertainment. His shows enable exciting new talent to shine and are the most talked-about programmes on British television. He is quite simply one of the most brilliant entertainment producers of our time."

Previous winners include Jane Tranter , Paul Watson , Paul Greengrass, Adam Curtis and Andy Harries.

Simon Cowell's career began in music; he started as an assistant at EMI Music Publishing, and rose through the ranks of the music industry forming E&S Music, later becoming a partner at label Fanfare Records, looking after some of the UK's most popular music artists.

Cowell formed the television production and music record label Syco with Sony Entertainment in 2002, where he created The X Factor, the series aired for the first series in 2004 and went on to become one of the UK's biggest selling formats. It is currently broadcast in 26 countries worldwide with audiences peaking in 2009 at 19.5 million.

Britain's Got Talent followed in the successful footprint of The X Factor, the first series of which, aired in 2007. It is a series which broke viewing figure records, and established some of the most well-known music talent in the UK. Runner-up Susan Boyle has since gone on to become the world's fastest selling recording artist in history with nine million album sales in as many months. Simon Cowell has also achieved success globally with nine series of American Idol, America's Got Talent and the recent launch of the X Factor in the USA for 2011. The Got Talent format currently airs in over 40 countries around the world.

The Philips British Academy Television Awards will be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday 6 June from 8pm

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public.

BAFTA's year-round Learning & Events programme offers unique access to some of the world's most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and much more. It works with groups of all ages and backgrounds across the UK. For further information visit www.bafta.org .

BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support our ongoing outreach work.

 

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