'Got Talent' TV talent format sets Guinness record

Monday, April 7, 2014

photo This Sept. 14, 2012, file photo, provided by NBC shows host Nick Cannon on stage during auditions for the talent competition series "America's Got Talent," in Newark, N.J. The producers of the "Got Talent" franchise say the TV talent contest is a winner in its own right. Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia said today that Guinness World Records has deemed the series the most successful reality TV format worldwide.

LOS ANGELES - The producers of the "Got Talent" franchise say the TV talent contest is a winner in its own right.

Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia said Monday that Guinness World Records has deemed the series the most successful reality TV format worldwide.

The format that was launched as "Britain's Got Talent" has been adapted for broadcast in 58 countries, the producers said. The latest versions to air include those in Iceland and Brazil.

Alistair Richards, president of Guinness World Records, said in a statement that "Got Talent" was the new record-holder. It displaced "Strictly Come Dancing," another British format that's sold to more than three-dozen countries.

The "Got Talent" format was created by music and reality TV entrepreneur Simon Cowell. He said he's proud the talent contest is a "home-grown British show."