Syco Entertainment
Company type | Sony Music Entertainment UK (2017–2020) Independent (2020–present) |
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Website | www |
Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment and production company, headquartered in London,
Retail billionaire Sir Philip Green, a close friend of Cowell, served as an advisor to the company until 2018. Through its divisions: Music, Film and TV, Syco has produced the Got Talent and The X Factor franchises which encompassed local versions in numerous countries and have launched the careers of One Direction, Leona Lewis, Little Mix, Susan Boyle and Fifth Harmony amongst others. Syco have also been instrumental in the careers of artists not originating from its franchises, including Il Divo and Westlife. It has also produced films such as One Direction: This Is Us (2013) and The X Factor parody musical, I Can't Sing! (2014). In July 2020, Cowell bought Sony Music's stake in Syco Entertainment, with exception for Syco Music. The record label and its artists and back catalogue were retained by Sony Music and subsequently absorbed. TV rights and assets were transferred to the newly created Syco Entertainment Ltd, which is owned 100% by Cowell.
Formation and history
Cowell founded
It was initially divided into three units: Syco Music, SYCOtv and Syco Film.[11] A few years later in July 2020, it was announced that Cowell had agreed to buy out Sony Music's stake in the company, with Sony Music retaining the company's artist roster and catalogue.[12]
Operations
Syco's television operations were founded originally as SYCOtv, primarily operating in the UK and US with key franchises
The X Factor
The X Factor, which launched in September 2004, was one of the most popular television shows in the UK. Syco and Fremantle Media launched The X Factor USA in September 2011, which averaged 12 million viewers and a 4.0 rating in the adults 18–49 demographic in its first season, leading FOX to nightly wins on Wednesdays and Thursdays and topping all other fall season reality competition.[15]
Internationally, The X Factor is produced individually in 41 countries including major markets like
Got Talent
Other projects
Syco produces other shows outside its key brands. In 2011, ITV series Red or Black? was met with mixed reaction. Syco were also behind American Inventor which ran for two seasons on ABC and the unsuccessful Celebrity Duets on Fox. In addition to its major formats, Syco also produces entertainment specials. This includes I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story, which broke ratings records in the US on TV Guide network[18] and scored 10 million viewers on ITV in the UK.[19] In 2013, Syco and Optomen launched ITV series Food Glorious Food, which aired on Wednesday evenings in the UK.
Syco Entertainment were the executive producers of the film One Direction: This Is Us from director Morgan Spurlock, which follows the life of pop sensations One Direction. The band had come third in the 2010 UK X Factor series, before being signed to Syco.[citation needed]
In January 2013, Syco set up a new London-based television division called Over The Top Productions. This production company was run by Syco's Global Head of Television, Nigel Hall, and would be responsible for formats such as ITV's Rolling In It.[20][21]
In July 2016, The Investigator: A British Crime Story was a co-production between Syco & ITV which was broadcast for four consecutive weeks on ITV at 9pm.[22] The series was inspired by Simons Cowell's interest in the crime series Making a Murder, and the Jinx.[23] The Investigator: A British Crime Story was broadcast globally via Netflix until 21 August 2021.[24] The series looked in to the murder of Carole Packman who disappeared from her family home in Bournemouth in June 1985. Carole's husband, Russell Causley was convicted of her murder in 1996 and again in 2004 following a successful appeal.
You Generation
In March 2013, Syco in partnership with YouTube, launched The You Generation channel which is listed as the 'world's first global audition'.
La Banda
In May 2014, Syco and Univision announced an upcoming TV show called La Banda which will focus on searching contestants from Hispanic America to find the "ultimate Latino boy band" with the winner receiving a recording contract for Sony Music Latin and Syco.[25]
I Can't Sing!
2014 saw Syco launch I Can't Sing!, a parody musical based on The X Factor. After technical issues and poor critical reception, the show was pulled from the West End of London less than two months after it opened. Cowell later said of the venture that occasionally things didn't work out and that they had been too ambitious trying to launch a new show in the West End.[26]
Shows produced
Current productions
- America's Got Talent (2006–present)
- Britain's Got Talent (2007–present)
Former productions
- American Inventor (2006–2007)
- America's Got Talent: The Champions (2019–2020)
- America's Got Talent: Extreme (2022)
- America's Got Talent: All-Stars (2023)
- America's Got Talent: Fantasy League (2024)
- Britain's Got More Talent (2007–2019)[27]
- Britain's Got Talent: The Champions (2019)[28]
- The X Factor (2004–2018)[29]
- The Xtra Factor (also called The Xtra Factor Live) (2004–2016)[30]
- The X Factor: Battle of the Stars (2006)[31]
- The X Factor: Celebrity (2019)[31]
- The X Factor: The Band (2019)[31]
- Celebrity Duets (2006)
- Grease Is the Word (2007)
- I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story (2009)
- Red or Black? (2011–2012)
- That Dog Can Dance (2012)
- Food Glorious Food (2013)
- The You Generation (2013–2014)
- La Banda (2015–2016)
- Planet's Got Talent (2015–2016)[32]
- Your Song (2017)
- The Greatest Dancer (2019–2020)
- Walk the Line (2021)
Screen and stage
- One Direction: This Is Us (2013)
- I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical(2014)
See also
- Syco Music - spun out from Syco Entertainment in July 2020.
- The Investigator: A British Crime Story (2016–2018)
- Murder of Carole Packman
References
- ^ "SYCO ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
- ISBN 978-1844549870.
- ISBN 9781843174455.
- ISBN 9781422293577.
- ISBN 9780857081476.
- ^ Patrick Foster (23 December 2011). "Simon Cowell picks up £27m in Sony Music deal". The Guardian.
- ^ "Sony Music Entertainment and Simon Cowell Launch New Global Venture: 'Syco'". PR Newswire. 19 January 2010.
- ^ Georg Szalai (2 November 2015). "Simon Cowell & Sony Music Extend Syco Venture by Six Years". Billboard.
- ^ Patrick Foster (25 July 2011). "Sir Philip Green owns no stake in Simon Cowell's Syco". The Guardian.
- ^ Sophie Barnes (9 November 2018). "Sir Philip Green forced out of Simon Cowell's business as famous friend abandons Topshop tycoon in wake of NDA scandal". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
- ISBN 9780857081476.
- ^ White, Peter (15 July 2020). "Simon Cowell To Take Full Control Of 'Got Talent' Producer Syco Entertainment, Buys Out Sony Music's Stake". Deadline. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Cowell to speak at TV festival". BBC. 10 May 2004.
- ^ "Simon Cowell Strikes Expanded Deal with NBCUniversal Including Non-Scripted Series for Peacock – Edinburgh". 23 August 2021.
- ^ "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'Sunday Night Football' Beaten By 'Modern Family' & 'Two and a Half Men' In Week No. 5 Among Adults 18–49 – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ "News & Comments". Televisual. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' Adjusted Up, Ties Series High; 'Combat Hospital' Hits Lows – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ "Susan Boyle Special Breaks TV Guide Network Ratings Records – Today's News: Our Take". TV Guide. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Barb.co.uk. 25 December 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ "Simon Cowell's Syco Launches over the Top Productions, Nigel Hall to Run New Division". 11 January 2013.
- ^ "ITV commissions a brand-new game show where contestants hope to go home Rolling in It".
- ^ Merriman, Rebecca (22 July 2016). "The horrifying true story behind The Investigator: A British Crime Story". mirror. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "The Investigator: A British Crime Story is Simon Cowell's answer to 'Making a Murderer'". The Independent. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ Moore, Kasey (21 July 2021). "Netflix Original 'The Investigator: A British Crime Story' Leaving Netflix in August 2021". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment and Univision Team Up to Find Ultimate Latino Boy Band". Billboard. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Richard Osley (27 April 2014). "X Factor musical I Can't Sing! to close after less than two months". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
- ^ "Fans desperate to save Britain's Got More Talent after spin-off is pulled from TV".
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent: The Champions (TV Series)".
- ^ Justin Harp (28 July 2021). "Simon Cowell's The X Factor dropped after 17 years". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ Harrison, Ellie (19 January 2017). "X Factor spin-off Xtra Factor axed with no room for presenters Rylan Clark-Neal and Matt Edmondson as ITV focuses on digital strategy". Radio Times. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "Simon Cowell confirms plans to launch TWO new versions of The X Factor in 2019". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Planet's Got Talent comes to ITV". itv.com. Retrieved 8 May 2017.