Have your say: Are TV talent shows still worth watching?
With The X Factor being off air for nearly three years, ITV now say there are “no current plans” to bring it back.
After a ratings slide for what was once one of the biggest shows on television and an extended hiatus, reports in The Sun suggested that creator Simon Cowell had axed it for good after 17 years.
Responding to the reports, an ITV spokesman said in a statement: “There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage.”
The show last aired in 2018 when Dalton Harris was crowned the winner and the judging panel was shaken up to include One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams and wife Anya Field alongside Cowell.
Previous judges on the programme include Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, Nicole Scherzinger and Dannii Minogue.
The programme first aired in 2004 and spawned spin-off shows X Factor: Celebrity and X Factor: The Band in 2019.
Watch: 'No current plans' for another series of The X Factor, says ITV
The X Factor has helped launch the careers of chart-topping artists including One Direction, Little Mix, Olly Murs and Leona Lewis.
It was revealed in February last year that Cowell was resting the programme for 2020.
However, with the rest potentially becoming permanent, it cold signal the beginning of the end for the TV talent show format.
Britain’s Got Talent pulled in 5.8 million for its final last year – the lowest ever ratings for the show’s finale and a dip of nearly three million from the previous year.
However, it was a different series of the show, that was bound by strict social distancing guidelines and while the ratings were lower, they still made it the most-watched show on the night.
But with the advent of more streaming services alongside Netflix, the traditional talent show could be a format that is on its way out.
Nevertheless, Cowell is set to return to UK television to lead a panel of judges in a new musical game show for ITV titled Walk The Line.
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