The X Factor is taking a year off as show boss Simon Cowell ponders the future of the ITV program, it has been confirmed.
The Sun first reported that Cowell is planning to rest the series for 12 months to see if there is any life in the long-running format. This comes following the news Cowell and Fremantle-owned production company Thames reached an agreement to keep Britain’s Got Talent on air until 2024, which also includes one more series of The X Factor.
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“Simon is planning to rest The X Factor this year, a source told American publication Deadline. “He and the producers want to take a breath to really think through the show and how to reinvigorate it for the future. And they don’t believe they can do that if they go straight into another cycle of the show this year.”
The normal series of the singing competition was scrapped in favor of The X Factor: Celebrity and X Factor: The Band but neither series boosted ratings. Instead, they brought in the lowest viewing figures in show history.
“Plans for this autumn are still being finalized and will be announced in due course,” an ITV spokesperson said in a statement. “We are currently filming Britain’s Got Talent 2020.”
