X Factor 2016

I don't think that's true at all. This year's ratings are on a par with series 5 (Alexandra & JLS' year). Then things went crazy for two years before settling back down.

Also I don't think time-shifting is a poor excuse for lower overnights - people are consuming television in this way far more often than say, five years ago and more importantly TV companies now monetise it a lot more successfully. It's certainly not fair for the media to compare overnights in 2016 with consolidated ratings in 2008.

The LIVE DOG mystery continues. This week it's gone back to the top right and has been there all the way through, even during the first performance.

I suspect you're right - they will almost certainly record them cleanly at an earlier point if they are going to be commercially released, particularly if the tracks are on streaming/download services instantly (without time for a decent mixing session)

However I know that the X Factor sound team record clean stems as well - so there is no reason for a commercial release of the same performance to sound the same as the broadcast mix, even if it were taken from the live performance. They will cleanly record individual vocal mics (which will be surprisingly free of audience etc.) and audience effects mics etc. on multiple tracks.

He is right - you may have missed my post confirming that the tracks are recorded during the dress rehearsal

The question is, with the strange removal of the LIVE bug during performances... are they lip-syncing to the recorded tracks or sing live again?

The LIVE DOG was on screen during all performances last night I simply think they took it away during the performances because they wanted to and thought it looked better , there is no way if the performances were recorded it wouldn't be in the press by now with a studio full of the public as audience members , especially when a guest act records their live show appearance it is always mentioned in the press and on twitter.

I wouldn't assume that the LIVE bug being removed on previous weeks meant that performances were pre-recorded, or lip-synced live to pre-recorded tracks. I suspect it was more an aesthetic decision, as the LIVE graphic is not exactly subtle, and being top of frame can collide with faces...

However I think it is fair to compare X Factor overnights with Strictly overnights...

There is an argument that if you are going to watch both shows, you'll watch Strictly live, because of the lack of adverts, and timeshift X Factor so you can skip them, but I'm not sure it justifies the near 4million difference in audience last night?

X Factor has also lost 2.5m on its highest overnight of this series. The live shows have been the big turn off for the last few years yet they've done little to remedy that.

There is a substantial difference between the increase in X Factor ratings once consolidated and the increase in Strictly. It's very clear that Strictly is on top, but certainly not the doom and gloom regularly reported in the press.

That doesn't mean it should be let off the hook by any means - but NBC and Fox would kill for ratings like 7 million up against Dancing with the Stars.

Fright Night next week... what a coincidence

What are the chances? The "random" jukebox selects Fright Night for Halloween while the conveniently cued up music and graphics play instantly.