Sensing an opportunity with the departure of Simon Cowell from "American Idol" and coming off the success of "The Sing Off," NBC is launching its own individual singing competition, "The Voice.”

Originally titled “Voice of America,” the show is based on a successful Dutch series and will be produced for the U.S. by John de Mol of "Big Brother" and Mark Burnett, the mastermind behind “Survivor” and “The Apprentice.”

"The Voice" is similar to "Idol," with singers performing each week. However, instead of judges facing the singers, the four coaches have their backs to the singers. A coach pushes a button to pick a singer to go to the next round. If more than one coach picks a singer, the singer chooses his or her coach.

Each coach eventually has his or her own team of singers, which the coach mentors and pits against the other teams, with viewer voting determining the winners.

A smash hit in the Netherlands, the show is being put on the fast track by NBC, before the airing of Simon Cowell's new show "The X Factor" in the fall and, if possible, during the spring season of "Idol." However, the show will be holding auditions in January and February, which would mean a quick turnaround for a spring debut.