Music mogul Simon Cowell was shocked to discover that the new season of The Voice will be shown at the exact same time as the new series of his show, X Factor USA.

During a recent press conference (September 6), he slammed The Voice for using dirty tactics to steal his potential target audience and described the talent programme as "mean-spirited":

"It is a spoiling tactic and it’s very simple – [Nbc doesn’t] want people to see this first episode…I think it’s mean-spirited and I hope and I pray that it backfires on them because this is one of the best shows we’ve ever made."

He added that despite the unfortunate clash he hopes that fans of X Factor USA will make the "right choice": "I am pissed off about it because I think there’s kind of a gentlemen’s agreement, but you have to rely that the viewers will make the right selection."

"I think there’s a lot of interest, rightly so, in our show because of Britney, Demi, the way the show is going to look, so we’re gonna see what happens…But I’ve learned don’t make any predictions!”

Speaking to TMZ earlier this week, Cowell also revealed that panelist Britney Spears almost quit her role on the show after the first day because of self-doubt.