Simon Cowell Says X Factor USA Reboot is Happening!

Simon Cowell says X Factor USA Reboot is Happening!
Pictured: Simon Cowell — (Photo by: Sami Drasin/NBC)

Simon Cowell Confirms X Factor USA Reboot on NBC

Simon Cowell reveals to the U.S Sun that an X Factor USA reboot IS happening via NBC after FOX cancelled it almost a decade ago. X Factor USA aired for three seasons between 2011 and 2013.The network scheduled it during the Fall, while American Idol broadcast mid-season.

The OG series, The X Factor aired for 14 season in the United Kingdom, but ITV cancelled it in 2018.

Simon told The Sun: “I have a saying in life that’s always go where you’ve got the best invitation – and NBC has offered us to make the show here. Which means we’ll make the show here.”

“We found our perfect partner with NBC”

He continued: “We found our perfect partner with NBC – honestly, I am not just saying that because they pay me, but they are brilliant. I just really like them, got on well with them and they get a kick out of seeing people succeed on [AGT].

UPDATE: Deadline reports that Simon is currently in talks with NBC and no deal has been signed yet. Additionally, according to the outlet the agreement would “likely fall under Cowell’s expanded deal with NBCUniversal, which he signed last year.”

Simon has worked with NBC for years. The America’s Got Talent series, which started in 2006, has been a reliable summer staple on the network for 17 seasons and counting. Simon shared the news during a press tour for America’s Got Talent: All Stars, an offshoot of the formate premiering on Jan. 2

The mogul added, “So you go where the best navigation is and if I am being honest there is more excitement to make it here than in the UK.”

NBC’s The Voice contributed to X Factor’s demise

The irony here: If NBC didn’t launch The Voice in 2011, The X Factor may have had space to grow on American audiences. But The Voice premiered in the Spring, with a respectable 11.78 million viewers, and went on to suck all of the singing show oxygen out of the room. The X Factor premiered later that year. Simon said he’s be disappointed with less then 20 million viewers tuning in. It kicked off with 12.49 million viewers and a 7.2 rating.

But when The Voice returned the following Spring it became a massive hit. Season 2 premiered after an NFL game with a whopping 37.61 million viewers and a 16.3 rating. Its time slot premiere garnered 17.84 million viewers and a 6.7 rating. It gave American Idol a run for it’s money. Didn’t help that FOX panicked the following year with the disastrous season 12 judges panel featuring the constantly bickering Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. Three seasons later, Idol was gone before ABC picked it up beginning in 2018.

The X Factor USA season 2 premiere fell considerably to 8.73 million viewers and a 3.4 rating. And the final season 3 premiere in 2013 earned 6.45 rating and a 2.2 rating. Meanwhile, NBC went in for the kill, scheduling The Voice for two cycles a season. The Voice season 5 premiered September 2013 and garnered 14.98 million viewers and a 5.1 rating. Only one singing show would survive the Fall cycle, and that singing show was The Voice.

How will NBC reboot X Factor? Will it be streaming only on Peacock?

Would NBC replace The Voice spring cycle with The X Factor USA? The Voice is still a reliable player for NBC. The network tried to cut The Voice back to one cycle a year in the Fall. But the spring 2021 experiment, American Song Contest, based on the Eurovision format, didn’t earn the numbers.

Maybe NBC could schedule an epic showdown between X Factor and American Idol, scheduling X Factor on Sundays in the Spring. Nah. Two singing shows on the same network airing back to back nights? They’d eat each other.

Or perhaps, instead of an America’s Got Talent offshoot, NBC airs X Factor in January and February. Simon could air a shortened version of the format in 6 or 7 weeks. But X Factor and The Voice are similar formats. Cannibalization could still be an issue.

But how about this: When Simon says “NBC” is he actually talking about “Peacock?” It makes sense that NBC/Universal would eye the X Factor for their streamer, hoping to attract new subscribers. Dancing with the Stars moved from ABC to Disney+ and word is, Disney is not unhappy with the results.

What do you think?

About mj santilli 35161 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!