Simon Cowell To Launch Next Competition On YouTube

Simon Cowell, renown for his position as a talent judge for several popular TV series like The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, and American Idol, will be launching his next competition online. The competition won't just be limited to the vocally talented, like American Idol or The X Factor. It's extended to anyone who has a talent that they're willing to display on YouTube.

The competition is set to launch this Wednesday, March 20th. There will be a finalist announced at the end of every two weeks, meaning there will be 26 lucky winners who will have the chance to win "great prizes". The competition is called "The You Generation", and it is looking to discover stars whose talents are hidden behind the endless amounts of videos that show up on YouTube each day.

The judges will be the executives from Simon Cowell's music publishing/television production house, Syco. Alongside these executives, there will be a series of featured guests (most like celebrities who pop in each week). At the launch of the competition this week, the U.K. boy band, One Direction, will be making a guest appearance live from the back stage of their tour. Their appearance will most likely to draw in viewers (the teenage girls demographic), and encourage competitors.

Alongside the launch of Cowell's new competition program, YouTube will be launching a series of other new series. Ricky Gervais will be launching a series of "brand new personalities, sketches and comedy creations" through his YouTube Channel. Reddit has started a new series called "Explain Like I'm Five" which breaks down complicated topics into an explanation that is understandable by even (and literally) five year olds. These are important steps that YouTube is taking in order to make itself a viable alternative to regular television.

[via YouTube]