Social media to be at the heart of revamped X Factor
A revamped X Factor will be "the first TV show of its kind", with social media playing an integral role in the plans for the show.
A revamped X Factor will be "the first TV show of its kind", with social media playing an integral role in the show.
It was revealed over the weekend that Simon Cowell is hoping to bring back the talent show - which ran for 15 series until 2018 - and, in a bid to attract a younger audience, viewers will be placed at the heart of the experience with various interactive elements.
A source told The Sun newspaper: “The reinvention of The X Factor is set to deliver the first TV show of its kind — one that isn’t just a programme with bolt-on social media elements but has social media deeply integrated into the format.
“It’s a way to bring in the young audience who, back in the day, were the mainstay of the talent show.
“People who watched The X Factor from the start are now in their forties and fifties and more likely to access it by traditional means — either tuning in on a Saturday or watching later on catch-up service ITVX.
“But now the young consume things so differently.
“They watch everything in bite-sized chunks which the link- up with TikTok and YouTube as well as other forms of social media will provide them with.
“Just as important, however, is the level of interaction that social media will provide for viewers.”
Among the ideas being considered are a new audition process, where pre-recorded performances are uploaded online for the public to decide if they should be put through to the next round, and for social media users to even being able to make wildcard choices or bring back their favourite acts.
Online voting oculd also decide the songs each act performs, or the themes the show could have, while each contestant's journey through the process could be charted on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms.
Following the popularity of KSI as a judge on his other show Britain's Got Talent, Simon will also be studying the social media followings of the potential panel, with the likes of PinkPantheress, Yungblood and Raye seen as standout choices thanks to their huge fan base and high streaming numbers.
Despite ending several years ago, The X Factor’s official YouTube channel has 9.2million subscribers, and the top ten most-watched auditions on the channel have clocked up a staggering 1.1 billion views.
Simon - who still co-owns the rights to The X Factor, along with distribution company Fremantle - admitted earlier this year he had spoken "a lot" about bringing back The X Factor.
Asked in May if The X Factor could return, he told the Tales from the Celebrity Trenches podcast: “Yeah, we talk about it a lot. Do you bring it back as X Factor or do you bring it back as the Z Factor?
“There’s still no question, the power of TV in terms of getting people to know an artist. It’s so important if you’re not writing your own material.
“The truth is there’s something about being on a big screen. You hear about these artists who break online, but so rarely.
“Truth is, I guess, thank God, people like being on TV.”
