Simon Cowell quits American Idol

SIMON Cowell is to launch a US version of The X Factor - a move which is set to make him even richer.
The pop mogul has agreed a deal with American broadcaster Fox to launch the entertainment show across the Atlantic next year.
The agreement, announced last night, means that Cowell will step down from his role as judge on American Idol, the most popular show on US TV, after the next series this year.
The move will mean Cowell will earn even more money from his TV contracts, because he produces and owns the format to The X Factor, unlike American Idol. The agreement with Fox in US is the first deal to be done as part of the TV judges business venture with retail tycoon billionaire Sir Philip Green. The American version of The X Factor will launch in autumn 2011, raising the prospect that it will clash with the UK series.
But Cowell will carry on working as a judge and executive producer on the British version of the series, meaning he will have to jet between the two countries for filming. Cowell created and launched the X Factor in the UK in 2004. Since then it has grown to become one of the biggest shows on TV.
This years British series got massive ratings and pulled away from BBC talent show Strictly Come Dancing by some distance.
The final of this years X Factor was seen by 19million viewers on ITV.
On the US version, Cowell will serve as both a judge and an executive producer.
Daily Mail