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donderdag 12 april 2012

Cowell, ITV move 'Got Talent' to avoid 'Voice' UK Battle Rounds clash

Cowell, ITV move 'Got Talent' to avoid 'Voice' UK Battle Rounds clash

Simon Cowell and ITV have shifted Britain's Got Talent's start time to avoid another clash in the Saturday night schedules with BBC One's The Voice UK.

For the first time, viewers will be able to watch both shows live on Saturday, April 21.

Got Talent has been pushed back half an hour from its original slated start time to 8.30pm, meaning fans can watch both shows in full without requiring catch-up services or Sky+.

Cowell originally threw down the gauntlet to The Voice UK, claiming that the BBC needed to get a "sense of humour" and that he would "back my talent against their talent".

However, The Voice UK has climbed in the ratings every week so far and toppled Cowell's show in the overnights last weekend (excluding +1 viewers). Crucially, it has also always beaten Got Talent in the 20-minute overlap that the two shows have had in their first four auditions episodes.

On Sunday night, Cowell tweeted the BBC and BBC One controller Danny Cohen to wish them congratulations for triumphing in the ratings war.

The Voice UK will have two episodes across the weekend of April 21-22. The first 90-minute Battle Round show airs on the Saturday, while a second episode, featuring the show's celebrity coaches whittling down their teams of ten to a final five, follows on the Sunday evening.

The Britain's Got Talent auditions show will continue with an extended episode on April 21, airing for 75 minutes between 8.30pm and 9.45pm.

The Voice UK and Britain's Got Talent will clash in the schedules again this weekend (Saturday, April 14). The Voice UK kicks off with another 80-minute episode at 7pm on BBC One, while BGT launches at 8pm on ITV1.