History of AGT
Simon Cowell, the founder of X Factor and a Sony Music executive, came up with the idea for America’s Got Talent because he wanted to create a talent competition that was far more spectacular than prior broadcast talent shows.
His plan, which he initially pitched to British television network ITV in 2005, was for a competition in which anyone of any age or location could compete and perform whatever type of skill they wanted.
The network liked the notion and approved the creation of a pilot episode to test the model, with Cowell and two other judges constituting a panel.
The pilot was a huge success.