After a good few years of losing out in the ratings battle, Simon Cowell has conceded that ‘The X Factor’ “can’t compete” with ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ when it comes to viewing figures.
In recent years, Simon has spent the lead-up to a new series of ‘X Factor’ revealing how confident he is that they can smash their BBC rivals when it comes to viewing figures, only to be proven wrong when the numbers are released.
With last year’s ‘X Factor’ ratings dramatically dropping, the music mogul has now admitted he’s less concerned about ‘Strictly’, in the lead-up to Saturday night’s (2 September) launch show.
When asked about whether he thinks ‘X Factor’ can beat ‘Strictly’ this year, Simon joked to The Sun: “I’ve learnt to keep my mouth shut about that.
Instead, Simon said he’s focussing on making the show the best he can be, adding: “I’ve seen a couple of contestants this year who are really, really good. You’re always hoping to find the next star and that’s what I’m focusing on now.”
Ratings clearly haven’t escaped Simon’s mind entirely, though, as earlier this week it was reported that he’d made some fresh tweaks to the show in a specific bid to stop fans from switching off.
He claimed: “The early and middle rounds rate well. So, the idea is to do more of the middle shows and less of the live shows.
“We’ll see if it works or not. I think there might be a middle ground.”
‘The X Factor’ launches tonight (2 September) at 8pm on ITV, with ‘Strictly’ set to debut its new series on BBC One a week later on 9 September.