Why This MattersThe variety show America's Got Talent is a dominant performer in the summer season, with ratings on the rise.
America's Got Talent wrapped up its 12th season on NBC on Sept. 20. The performance show garnered big-time ratings this summer, averaging nearly 16 million total viewers in live-plus-seven-day ratings before the finale. At a time when most shows are seeing their ratings slide, America's Got Talent went up 14% in total viewers and 10% in viewers 18-49.
AGT creator - and judge - Simon Cowell spoke with B&C deputy editor Michael Malone about the show's success, Tyra Banks' performance as host, and his sunny disposition on America's Got Talent.
Ratings are up this season, which doesn't happen with too many shows. To what do you attribute the growth?
Oh gosh, I wish I knew! The idea is, you have to make a good show. I think it really comes down to that. Everything seems to have gelled this year. I can't complain, the show has been great over the years. But in this day and age, when it's been on this long and you see it grow again, that is very encouraging. I feel great about it, to be honest with you.
You seem like quite a different person than you were on American Idol. Why is that?
I loved working with Fox - they were great people. There were certain other people I didn't like working with, so that was a factor. To be honest with you, all they ever put in front of us were terrible people. There were a few good people, but the majority was just terrible. And when you're doing 10-hour days, you get to a point where, honest to God, you think, I don't think I can do this much longer.
On this show, of course, you get what I'll call interesting people turning up. But in the main, they're very nice and you want them to do well.
Will you watch the new American Idol?
Probably not.
Once Paula [Abdul] left, I lost interest. I loved seeing Paula on the show.
How do you grade Tyra Banks' performance as AGT host?
Under the circumstances, because it was all a bit last minute, I think Tyra has done very well. I've gotten to know Tyra in the process - she's a great girl, she's very hard-working, and there's a side to her that we're beginning to see that I didn't even know existed.
How long will you continue to be a judge?
Until people stop watching, Michael. To be honest with you, it's a fun job. It's a good show to be on. I would often come down to watch it, and think to myself, you know what, this would be a great show to be part of the judging panel on. It's fun, they're great producers, and I love working with NBC. You remind yourself that you get paid for it.
I've thought about this a lot. As long as what you say is helpful, and it's beneficial to the contestants, there's a reason for doing it. If you just turn up and take a chair because you want to be on TV, that's frustrating. We don't have that on this show - they really do care.
Any thoughts on specials or episodes outside of the summer season?
The interesting thing is, I wasn't sure three or four years ago if people would want to buy these shows anymore. We probably get a phone call a week now from people wanting to buy shows. So it's a good place to be. I think less is probably more right now. I tell you what I did like doing - I don't think we'll do it this year but maybe next year - the Christmas show [for America's Got Talent]. I thought it was good.
Is the talent different on Britain's Got Talent than on America's Got Talent?
With the U.K. show, where it was really, really good, and I think it was important, the guy who won, Paul Potts [2007 winner], worked in a phone shop, they made a movie about him. And of course Susan Boyle [in 2009]. It went in a different direction than Idol - it was less cookie-cutter, less predictable.
The British show and the American show have a lot of similarities. You can't put any rules or boundaries around these shows. Talent is talent, whether you're young or middle-aged or older - it doesn't really matter, it's what you hope people are going to like. I think that's what Britain's Got Talent did in the early stages. America's Got Talent has those principles as well, which is, you've got to be open-minded to anybody on the show, you've got to be welcoming, you've got to be inclusive.
What do you watch for fun?
I love House of Cards. I'm a big fan of Netflix. I like documentaries and old movies.
Any thoughts about tweaking the AGT format for next season?
It has kind of evolved. We're lucky because when it airs in other territories, sometimes they come up with ideas like the golden buzzer - that's a big part of the show now. They came up with the idea of guest judges in the middle rounds, which I really like, and we're going to incorporate that into the U.K. show.
I don't think it needs an awful lot of tinkering, to be honest with you. Right now we're not seeing a moment where the numbers go down. What's interesting is how well the results shows are holding up. Historically they tend to taper off over the years. But those are holding up well - we just were at 12 million for a results show, which is spectacular.
The expertise and passion and love and care the team has for the show is unbelievable. Same with the network - right from the top, they really care for the show. That's why, for me, it's not a difficult show right now.
How many more seasons do you envision for AGT?
One thing I've learned in America is, never predict the future. Right now I'm just happy.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Why This MattersThe variety show America's Got Talent is a dominant performer in the summer season, with ratings on the rise.
