X Factor in crisis over Cowell-ITV war as bosses refuse him a gap year
By
Lara Gould
- They won’t give him a gap year – and turn down his idea for a new Top Of The Pops-style show
- So he won’t tell them if he’ll appear on X Factor – even though filming is due to start within weeks
- And that would cost them millions in advertising as viewers switch off
Simon Cowell's relationship with ITV has reached an all-time low following a series of rows about The X Factor – and the channel’s decision not to commission his new Top Of The Pops-style chart show.
The two sides are at loggerheads after Cowell told the broadcaster he wanted to take the talent show off air for a year so he could launch a version in America, The Mail on Sunday understands.
But ITV refused, fearing they would lose millions in advertising revenue if the hugely popular show wasn’t broadcast in its traditional autumn slot.
The Exit Factor? Simon Cowell, pictured with fiancee Mezghan Hussainy, is threatening to quit the show after ITV refused to give the show a gap year and turned down his plans for a Top of The Pops style show
Relations further soured when the channel decided not to order the Top Of The Pops-style show from Cowell’s production company Syco.
Now the 51-year-old svengali has refused to commit to appearing on the next series of X Factor, just weeks ahead of the audition rounds, prompting fears among ITV executives about the fate of their most lucrative ‘golden goose’.
Ratings would be expected to fall if Cowell does not return as one of the judges. When American Idol returned last month without Cowell, who quit the show last year, audiences slumped by 13 per cent.
Cowell signed a £20 million three-year deal with ITV in October to keep X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent on air until 2014.
But he will be under pressure this autumn, when both the UK series and his new £100 million version for America’s Fox network are due to air.
TV gold mine: Matt Cardle wins last year's final, which was watched by 16.5million viewers and ITV have already figured in lucrative advertising deals in their financial projections
Filming on the US show starts this spring, while applications for the British series close this Friday.
Cowell wanted to take the UK show off air for a year, arguing that it was becoming tired and had been damaged by a series of controversies, including accusations that performances had been digitally altered and the row surrounding the axeing of Zimbabwean contestant Gamu Nhengu.
But the ‘gap year’ proposal was roundly rejected by ITV, which had already factored advertising and phone-line income into its financial projections.
As a compromise, Cowell, who is engaged to American make-up artist Mezghan Hussainy, mooted the idea of moving the show to January, once X Factor USA had finished.
But that move was also rejected by ITV as it would have cost it millions during the crucial Christmas period.
Wining formula: Cowell wanted to take the UK show off air for a year, arguing that it was becoming tired and had been damaged by a series of controversies but ITV are convinced of the show's continued success
It sold 30-second slots in last year’s final, which was seen by 16.5 million viewers, for £250,000 - 60 per cent higher than the usual cost.
Advertising revenues for the final weekend alone were £12 million. Cowell is expected to make a decision about his future on the show within the next two weeks, with ITV executives leaning heavily on him to agree to return.
They have offered him the option of sitting out the audition rounds, which begin in April, and returning in October for the live rounds and Sunday night results shows.
It would involve a series of stand-ins taking Cowell’s place, picking his four final acts and mentoring them in the same way producers covered for Dannii Minogue’s maternity leave and Cheryl Cole’s absence while she recovered from malaria.
Time out: Both Cheryl Cole (left) and Dannii Minogue took some out of The X Factor audition stages last year due to illness and pregnancy. ITV bosses have offered a similar deal for Simon Cowell but he remains reluctant to commit
Singers Robbie Williams and Michael Bublé are rumoured to be in the running.
A source close to the negotiations said: ‘Simon wanted to give The X Factor a year off, but ITV were adamant it must be on because it is crucial to their finances.
The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent are ITV’s golden geese. Their financial projections are based on having the X Factor on air in that slot before Christmas.
Not having X Factor would be devastating to ITV’s income but also its audience share.
‘ITV needs to demonstrate that it is still a viable market player. The two shows that deliver audiences on the scale they need are both Simon Cowell’s – the X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.
‘ITV needs Simon Cowell, even though they hate to admit it. The shows are built around him. Without Cowell they are just talent shows.’
Cowells in the making? Singers Robbie Williams (left) and Michael Bublé are rumoured to be in the running to stand in for Simon Cowell during the audition stages of the The X Factor
However, the broadcaster has turned down the planned chart show from Cowell’s company Syco.
In December he announced he was in advance talks for a live Saturday night music show, saying it was ‘an idea we’ve been working on for a while. It’s the right time to do it’.
The show would have been a tie-in between record label SonyBMG – Syco’s parent company – and Apple’s internet music store iTunes.
Cowell would have had an executive role, but not appeared on screen.
Last night an ITV spokesman confirmed the plans had been dropped, saying: ‘We have a great relationship with Simon Cowell but we haven’t commissioned any new shows with Syco and we’re not working on any plans at the moment.’
Of the future of The X Factor, he would only say: ‘We are excited about this year’s X Factor and full details of the show will be announced in due course.’
