After 15 years on air, The X Factor is being given the chop by its creator Simon Cowell — according to new reports.

Details below…

Sources close to the situation say that dwindling ratings and audience fatigue have seen Cowell scrap the format of the upcoming season. A move that means producers quite literally have halted the search for new talent; a search that was said to be proving difficult.

Instead, the 2019 incarnation of the show will reportedly be billed as a “celebrity version” with a goal to “rejuvenate” the format.

Per insiders, soap and reality stars with an unexplored penchant for singing are currently being courted.

There’ll also be a “champions” component that’ll see past X Factor contestants from international editions of the show compete. A concept Cowell has been exploring of late with his ‘…Got Talent’ franchise.

At its peak, The X Factor birthed stars such as Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, JLS, and Little Mix. It also spurned localised versions such as ‘The X Factor USA’ – which boasted judges like Britney Spears and Kelly Rowland. 

In recent years though, viewers have become less enamoured with the soapy theatrics and it’s reflected in the so-so success of winners and contestants.

Will the new format be the spark needed?

Cowell will no doubt be hoping so. For, he’s said to be mulling a return to the traditional version in 2020 — which is the final year of the show’s current ITV deal.

Suffice to say, the performance of the upcoming instalment may dictate whether next year is the beginning of a refresh or the last hurrah.

In any case, what are…

Your thoughts?

[Source: 1/2]