Well, if I was Cowell I too would be using BGT as leverage - perfectly sensible business approach there - but there isn't any heavyweight BBC One competition to beat it, with the only real ratings battle being the night of the Eurovision final, which the BBC won this year for the first time in yonks. (That said, you had a. Saara Alto competing and b. the UK stage invasion, so that might skew it.)
They need a new Saturday night big show, and this is the problem for ITV - it seems they have pinned their hopes on X Factor always being there from late August to early December. ITV does not seem to have thought long term about the decline of the show and the falling ratings.
Yes the show attracts a young audience, but the overall ratings are appalling. It is not just a one million gap, some weeks in 2017 and 2018 there gap was the size of the Grand Canyon, with nearly four million viewer difference between X Factor and SCD.
ITV really need to think about moving BGT to the autumn, and scrapping the Royal Variety Performance as part of the prize. BGT is the only show that could do really well up against SCD in 2020.
Let’s do a fact check here — the ratings for The X Factor are not ‘appalling’, satisfactory would probably be a more accurate description. Any show averaging over 5m in the current television landscape is doing fine. Kevin Lygo has said multiple times TXF still turns a profit, so why would ITV axe it? The 16-34 audience is important commercially, and the show is still performing well in attracting those viewers. Putting BGT against Strictly would be a ridiculous decision, and would harm both shows.
X Factor averaged 5 million - Strictly Come Dancing averaged 8 million. A three million gulf between these two shows. Not something I would be happy and content with if I was in charge of ITV.
The 2018 Strictly Come Dancing Final averaged 11.7 million viewers overnight, peaking around 12.7 million. The 2018 X Factor Final averaged 5.5 million overnight, peaking at 7.5 million.
So, am I wrong to be concerned if I was in charge of ITV? Those figures are bad, considering X Factor was considered a "juggernaut" show by 2009. The Joe McElderry win of 2009 was the peak of the show with close to 19.7 million tuning in for the final.
The final of X Factor 2018 was up on the previous year but overall the overnights themselves were disappointing. The problem is ITV don't have anything that is going to timeshift 5 million+ every Saturday from Sept - Dec.
The 2018 Strictly Come Dancing Final averaged 11.7 million viewers overnight, peaking around 12.7 million. The 2018 X Factor Final averaged 5.5 million overnight, peaking at 7.5 million.
So, am I wrong to be concerned if I was in charge of ITV? Those figures are bad, considering X Factor was considered a "juggernaut" show by 2009. The Joe McElderry win of 2009 was the peak of the show with close to 19.7 million tuning in for the final.
Comparing the two isn’t particularly useful, Strictly Come Dancing is irrelevant to whether The X Factor is still financially viable. Advertisers want the 16-34 audience, and TXF still performs well enough, even though it’s evidently performed much better previously. Clearly there has been significant drop in viewers, but any replacement ITV commission will almost certainly be watched by fewer people. A replacement show couldn’t fill as many hours and stay over 5m. TXF’s best days are long gone, but it’s still worth keeping around.
X Factor averaged 5 million - Strictly Come Dancing averaged 8 million. A three million gulf between these two shows. Not something I would be happy and content with if I was in charge of ITV.
The 2018 Strictly Come Dancing Final averaged 11.7 million viewers overnight, peaking around 12.7 million. The 2018 X Factor Final averaged 5.5 million overnight, peaking at 7.5 million.
So, am I wrong to be concerned if I was in charge of ITV? Those figures are bad, considering X Factor was considered a "juggernaut" show by 2009.
But that's looking at it very simplistically. None of that really matters unless you put the bragging rights of being the most popular show above all other commercial concerns.
In reality there will be a lot more considerations than the raw numbers. There's the demographic watching, the advertisers, the sponsor, if it's turning a profit, any benefits to the rest of the schedule etc. If those diminishing returns become too much then they'll cancel. But not solely on how the ratings compare to a non-commercial rival.
So according to this article there will be 2 X Factors this year, a celeb edition and an 'all-star' version they will run back to back later in the year :
So according to this article there will be 2 X Factors this year, a celeb edition and an 'all-star' version they will run back to back later in the year :
X factor should have went the way of BGT, and stripped it over a course of a week for the live show, and started it 7.30 had corrie at 9 and results at, you get the picture. You could have this in November, and pack in a great week. Of course then means you need to have more saturday night stuff but surly there could find something for October and December?
X factor should have went the way of BGT, and stripped it over a course of a week for the live show, and started it 7.30 had corrie at 9 and results at, you get the picture. You could have this in November, and pack in a great week. Of course then means you need to have more saturday night stuff but surly there could find something for October and December?
What purpose would that serve?
:-(
A former member
What do you mean? part of the problem is it's too drawn out its overkill, by doing a more centre high dosh shot might help solve some of the problems,