Simon Cowell to Be Feted at Cannes TV Market Mipcom
LONDON — Simon Cowell is to be feted as Personality of the Year at the 30th anniversary edition of TV program market Mipcom in Cannes, France.
Cowell will receive his award at a gala dinner for industry executives at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes on Oct. 14. On Oct. 13, he will give a keynote interview in Cannes’ Palais des Festivals.
“Simon Cowell is a visionary producer whose television franchises are on air in almost 200 territories around the world, underlining his status as a global creative icon. In recognition of his amazing career as a creator of international formats and his formidable impact on the entertainment industry as a whole, we are honored to welcome him to Cannes as the Mipcom 2014 Personality of the Year,” said Paul Zilk, CEO of Reed MIDEM, organizer of Mipcom.
Cowell’s Syco Entertainment is a music, film and television production company, whose television assets include “Got Talent” and “The X Factor,” both created by Cowell, and distributed and co-produced by Syco’s longstanding partner, FremantleMedia.
In April, “Got Talent” was named the world’s most successful reality television format by The Guinness Book of Records.
Original versions of “Got Talent” are being produced in 62 territories worldwide. Emmy-nominated “America’s Got Talent” has been the No.1 rated summer program ever since its launch in June 2006. Now in its ninth consecutive season, the show airs in 193 countries worldwide.
The Syco Music roster includes stars such as One Direction, Little Mix, Susan Boyle, Ella Henderson, Il Divo, Labrinth, Cher Lloyd, Fifth Harmony, Alex & Sierra, and Collabro.
“The X Factor” has been produced in 49 territories since its launch in 2004. Artists discovered by the show have sold more than 160 million records, including 170 No. 1 hits, and 380 top 10 records.
In 2002, Cowell became lead judge of the fledgling “American Idol.” By the final of the second series in 2003, 38 million Americans were tuning in to watch Cowell on the show. Cowell was the lead judge on the U.S. “X Factor” for three years from 2011 before leaving to make his return to the U.K. show as a judge for its 11th season, which begins in August 2014.
In August 2013, Cowell produced his first feature film, “One Direction: This Is Us.” The movie debuted at No.1 at both the U.S. and U.K. box offices, before going on to enjoy international success.
For his newest take on the singing competition genre, Cowell has teamed up with Univision to create “La Banda,” a series that will search the U.S. and Latin America for the next Latino boy band in 2015. Syco also recently announced a new music show, “Ultimate DJ,” in partnership with SFX and T Mobile.
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