Simon Cowell and ITV will be breathing a huge sigh of relief after the latest X Factor spin off, X Factor: The Band, managed to curb the recent ratings decline.
The show, which was only put together in four weeks and received next to no promo, pulled in 2.24million viewers on Monday night at 8.30pm.
The numbers mean it was the most watched show of its time slot from 8.30pm for the first 30 minutes with an audience of under 30s.
However, X Factor’s crown slipped at 9pm when BBC1’s Question Time special kicked off.
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The political series hosted by Fiona Bruce pulled in 300,000 more viewers – bagging a total of 2.5 million viewers.
In comparison, the recently wrapped up X Factor: Celebrity, which was heavily hyped for months, averaged around 2m viewers.
While there is no denying it’s a far cry from the 10m viewers X Factor pulled in during its heyday, the news will likely be used to prove there is life in the old dog yet.
Cowell and ITV are thought to be in the final stages of negotiating a new deal for both The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.
Recent reports claim that the media mogul is on the cusp of landing a five-year deal.
The deal, which is yet to be confirmed by either camp, is thought to be for five new series of Britain’s Got Talent and one series of The X Factor.
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An X Factor source told The Sun: “Simon has been in talks with ITV for some time and bosses there are keen to cement a new deal.
“There has been interest from streaming sites and other stations but terrestrial television has always been the most natural fit.
“BGT is a natural ratings winner, so that was always going to be the choice long term, but The X Factor is clearly at a crossroads.”
