The Voice is a franchise of an international reality television singing competition It is based on The Voice of Holland reality television competition which was originally created by Dutch producer John de Mol Jr. Many other countries have adapted the format and started broadcasting their own versions since 2010. It became a franchise competitor for Idols, Rising Star and The X Factor. Until 2020, the franchise was owned by Talpa Network. The current owner is ITV Studios. John de Mol the Younger of Talpa, creator of Big Brother, first conceptualized The Voice with Dutch singer Roel van Velzen.
Erland Galliard, Dutch program director, asked John de Mol if he could come up with a format that would go one step further than The X Factor. De Mol then came up with the idea of a blind audition. He wanted the show’s image to focus only on the quality of the singing, so the coaches should be the best artists in the music industry. The concept of swivel chairs was invented by Roel van Velzen. It will also be the first talent show to feature social media heavily.
On September 17, 2010, The Voice of Holland began airing on RTL 4 with Angela Grothuisen, Roel van Velzen, Nick & Simon and Jeroen van der Boom as the show’s mentor judges (nicknamed “coaches”). The show was an instant success in the Netherlands. The format was later sold to various countries, in many cases replacing Endemol’s previous music competition format, Operation Triumph/Star Academy.