CBS Taking on 'America's Got Talent' With New Global Competition Show 'The World’s Best'

CBS has decided that it needs its own talent show to compete with America's Got Talent, The Voice and American Idol. On Wednesday, the network announced plans for The World's Best, a new series from The Voice producer Mark Burnett.

According to CBS, The World's Best will try to live up to its title as a "first of its kind global talent competition." While the judges' panel will be made up of Americans, the talent will be from "every corner of the planet."

The talent will also have to break through a "wall of the world," where "50 of the world's most accomplished experts from every field of entertainment" will weigh in on their skills. At the end of the season, an act will be named "The World's Best."

Burnett, who also produces CBS' Survivor and was behind NBC's The Apprentice, will co-produce with Mike Darnell. Darnell's credits include American Idol, Little Big Shots and Ellen's Game of Games.

"This is a unique, original format with global scale led by two of the most accomplished producers on television," Sharon Vuong, CBS' Senior Vice President of Alternative Programming, said in a statement. "Mike and Mark are not only the very top producers in the genre, but they also understand how to create compelling competition and build enduring franchises."

"The time has come to take talent competition shows to the next level and bring in judges from around the world to decide on the ultimate winner," Burnett said. "It's like the Olympics for entertainment, but you don't have to wait every two years."

The World's Best will be produced by MGM Television, which Burnett leads, and Warner Horizon Unscripted & Alternative Television. The other executive producers are Alison Holloway, Brooke Karzen, Barry Posnick and Dan Sacks.

CBS did not say when The World's Best will debut, but it will have a tough road ahead if it hopes to beat America's Got Talent in the ratings. Variety reports that the AGT season 2 finale scored 15.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen Live+7 statistics. That was a 14 percent jump over the previous season. The finale drew 14.7 million live viewers and a 3.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic.