CBS Eyes Scooter Braun Singing Competition Show

Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images

CBS Eyes Scooter Braun Singing Competition Show

Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images

CBS may go head-to-head with American Idol, The Voice, and The Four.

The network is developing a singing competition series with manager and producer Scooter Braun, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. CBS declined comment.

The potential series is in the early stages; it’s unclear if the project is based on an original idea or an existing format, though sources say the latter is more likely. Also unclear is if Braun would have an onscreen role or remain behind the scenes as an executive producer.

Should CBS move ahead with the Braun entry, each of the Big Four broadcasters would be home to a singing competition show: ABC is bringing back American Idol for midseason, NBC has veteran The Voice, and Fox recently picked up The Four, which is based on an Israeli format.

That CBS would eye an expansion into the singing competition genre comes months after the network was offered American Idol but declined to engage in conversations to add the pricey series to its lineup. “The price is so expensive, you need a 35 share to break even. … The economics made no sense for us,” CBS Corp. chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves said in May.

The project expands Braun’s relationship with CBS, where he serves as an executive producer on procedural Scorpion, which is entering its fourth season at the network. Braun, a manager who launched the careers of Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen, among others, is also reportedly exploring a seat at the judge’s table on The Four, though Fox declined comment about his potential involvement. A deal for either The Four or the CBS show has not been set.

A CBS deal would put increased pressure on ABC’s American Idol reboot — which features Katy Perry and her $25 million payday joining host Ryan Seacrest — as well as Fox’s The Four and NBC’s aging veteran The Voice as the arms race for talent seems poised to intensify.

This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.

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