production_company x factor 
Pop Idol is a British television music competition created by Simon Fuller which ran on ___MASK17___ from 2001 to 2003 . The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer ( or " pop idol ") in the UK based on viewer voting and participation . Two series were broadcast  one in 2001  2002 and a second in 2003 . " Pop Idol " was subsequently put on an indefinite hiatus after series judge Simon Cowell announced the launch of " The X Factor " in the UK in April 2004 . American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller , produced by ___MASK53___ North America and 19 Entertainment , and distributed by ___MASK53___ North America . It began airing on Fox on June 11 , 2002 , and ended on April 7 , 2016 . It started off as an addition to the " Idols " format based on the British series " Pop Idol ", and became one of the most successful shows in the history of American television . The concept of the series involves discovering recording stars from unsigned singing talents , with the winner determined by the viewers in America through telephones , Internet , and SMS text voting . Winners chosen by viewers in its fifteen seasons were Kelly Clarkson , Ruben Studdard , Fantasia Barrino , Carrie Underwood , Taylor Hicks , Jordin Sparks , David Cook , Kris Allen , Lee DeWyze , Scotty McCreery , Phillip Phillips , Candice Glover , Caleb Johnson , Nick Fradiani , and Trent Harmon . Britain ' s Got Talent ( often shortened to BGT ) is a British television talent show reality TV competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the " Got Talent " franchise . The show is a Thames production ( formerly ___MASK5___ Thames ) distributed by ___MASK53___ and is produced in association with Syco TV . The show is broadcast on ITV and its sister show " Britain ' s Got More Talent " is broadcast on ITV2 . Anyone of any age with some sort of talent can audition for the show . Acts compete against each other in order to gain the audience support while trying to win the title of " The winner of " Britain ' s Got Talent "". The original judging panel consisted of the show ' s creator Simon Cowell , Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan . Kelly Brook was brought in briefly as a fourth judge in series 3 , but was axed after one audition site . Morgan did not return for series 5 and Cowell was only present during the live shows , while David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre joined the panel . Alesha Dixon and David Walliams joined the panel in series 6 as replacements for McIntyre and Hasselhoff . Got Talent is a British talent show television format conceived and owned by Simon Cowell ' s SYCOtv company . A ___MASK47___ was made in the ___MASK56___ in 2005 , hosted by Paul O ' Grady , but after O ' Grady ' s split with ___MASK17___ , the series was postponed , resulting in " America ' s Got Talent "  the first full series of the format . Idool 2003 was the first season of the Belgian version of the Idol series . It was won by Peter Evrard , and followed by Idool 2004 . The series was officially launched on 28 September 2002 by Belgian television network VTM . The hosts of the show are Koen & Kris Wauters of the group Clouseau . The jury members were Jean Blaute , Nina De Man , Jan Leyers & Bart Brusseleers . Syco Entertainment , often known simply as Syco , is a British entertainment company established by British entertainment mogul , Simon Cowell . The company operates a record label , talent agency , film , music , and television production company , as well as a music publishing house . It operates a global joint venture between Cowell and ___MASK9___ Music Entertainment focused on the production and marketing of music , television , film and digital content . It employs a staff of more than 50 in offices in London and Los Angeles , and manages a string of high - profile television and music brands through partnerships with the label ___MASK9___ Music and the television production company , ___MASK53___ . Simon Phillip Cowell ( born 7 October 1959 ) is an English reality television judge and producer , entrepreneur , and philanthropist . He is most recognised as a judge on the British TV talent competition series " Pop Idol ", " The X Factor ", and " Britain ' s Got Talent ", and the American TV talent competition shows " American Idol ", " The X Factor ," and " America ' s Got Talent ". Cowell is the principal founder and chief executive of the British entertainment company Syco . America ' s Got Talent ( sometimes abbreviated as AGT ) is an American reality television series on the ___MASK98___ television network , and part of the global " Got Talent " franchise . It is a talent show that features singers , dancers , magicians , comedians , and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of one million dollars . The show debuted in June 2006 for the summer television season . From season three ( 2008 ) onwards , the prize includes the one million dollars , payable in a financial annuity over 40 years , and a chance to headline a show on the Las Vegas Strip . Among its significant features is that it gives an opportunity to talented amateurs or unknown performers , with the results decided by an audience vote . The format is a popular one and has often been reworked for television in the United States and the United Kingdom . The X Factor is a television music competition franchise created by Simon Cowell . It originated in the ___MASK56___ , where it was devised as a replacement for " Pop Idol " ( 2001  03 ). It is held in various countries . The programmes are produced by executive producer Simon Cowell and his company SYCOtv . The " X Factor " of the title refers to the undefinable " something " that makes for star quality . The prize is usually a recording contract , in addition to the publicity that appearance in the later stages of the show itself generates , not only for the winner but also for other highly ranked contestants . A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content , whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers . Until the mid - 1980s , television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks . Many early television networks ( such as the ___MASK83___ , ___MASK98___ or CBC ) evolved from earlier radio networks . X Factor is the Flemish version of the British show The X Factor that was created by Simon Cowell . The new X Factor series was a postcursor to Idool 2003 / 2004 which features contestants & jury members from both seasons .