The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. The programmes are produced by executive producer Simon Cowell and his company SYCOtv. The "X Factor" of the title refers to the undefinable "something" that makes for star quality. The prize is usually a recording contract, in addition to the publicity that appearance in the later stages of the show itself generates, not only for the winner but also for other highly ranked contestants.
The format creator is Simon Cowell who used to also judge and mentor on the UK series. The UK version is responsible for the launch of the internationally successful singer Leona Lewis. As of January 2012, there have been 64 winners of The X Factor around the world, the most recent being Andrei Leonte from Romania.
Television stations in many countries, but especially the Scandinavian ones, have expressed an interest in showing the UK version, but have not been able to acquire the rights. This is due to legal issues as the British version of the show is only available in the UK and Ireland. The X Factor has completed its eighth UK series.
The similarities between The X Factor and Idol prompted Idol creator Simon Fuller, along with 19 Entertainment, to file a lawsuit against Cowell, SYCOtv, and FremantleMedia in 2004. An out-of-court settlement was reached in 2005 allowing Fuller to gain an executive producer status, a 10% share in The X Factor format, and preventing an American version until 2010.[1][2] Fuller later filed a lawsuit again in 2011 after SYCO, FremantleMedia, and Fox Broadcasting Company failed to fulfill the settlement of crediting him as an executive producer of The X Factor USA.[3][4][5][6]
Unlike Idol, where contestants are solely judged by the judges, on The X Factor each judge mentors the finalists in a particular category, aiding them with song selection and styling, while also participating together in judging the contestants of the other categories. As well as Idol, new singing show The Voice has become a rival show to The X Factor.
Contents |
Region/country | Local title | Television network | Seasons/series and winners | Judges | Presenters |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albania Kosovo |
X Factor Albania | TV Klan Website |
Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | Pandi Laço Vesa Luma Juliana Pasha Alban Skënderaj[7] |
Alketa Vajsiu [8] |
Arab world | The X Factor, XSeer Al Najah سير النجاح X |
Rotana TV | Series 1, 2006: Rajaa Kasabni Series 2, 2007: Muhammad El Majzoub |
Khaled El Sheikh (2006–2007) Michel Elefteriades (2006–2007) Nelly (2006) Anoushka (2007) |
Joelle Rahme |
Argentina | Factor X | El Trece | Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | ||
Armenia | X-Factor ԻՔՍ-ՖԱԿՏՈՐ |
Shant TV Website |
Season 1, 2010-2011: Vrezh Kirakosyan | Egor Glumov Naira Gyurjinyan Garik Baboyan Gisane Palyan |
Aram MP3 |
Australia | The X Factor | The X Factor Network Ten (2005) Seven Network (2010–present) The Xtra Factor Network Ten (2005) 7Two (2010) |
Season 1, 2005: Random |
Current Ronan Keating Natalie Bassingthwaighte Guy Sebastian Mel B Former Natalie Imbruglia Kyle Sandilands Kate Ceberano Mark Holden John Reid |
Current Luke Jacobz Former Daniel MacPherson Natalie Garonzi (The Xtra Factor) Chloe Maxwell (The Xtra Factor) |
Belgium | X Factor | VTM Website |
Season 1, 2005: Udo Mechels Season 2, 2008: Dirk De Smet |
Kris Wauters Jean Blaute (Season 1) Liliane Saint-Pierre (Season 1) Do (Season 2) Maurice Engelen (Season 2) |
Koen Wauters (Season 1) Hadise (Season 2) |
Bulgaria | X Factor | NovaTv Website |
Season 1, 2011: Raffi Bohosyan |
Maria Ilieva Vasko Vasilev Poli Genova Magomed Aliev - Maga |
Deyan Slavchev - Deo |
Chile | Factor X | TVN TVN HD Website |
Season 1, 2011: Sergio Járlaz Season 2, 2012: Upcoming season |
Current Tito Beltrán Mon Laferte Jose Luis Rodriguez Former Zeta Bosio Nydia Caro Karen Doggenweiler |
Julián Elfenbein |
China | The X Factor: Ji Qing Chang Xiang 激情唱响 |
Liaoning TV Website |
Season 1, 2011: Li Shangshang | Angie Chai Chih-ping Aduo Chen Yufan |
Da Zuo Shao Wenjie |
Colombia | El factor X | RCN TV Website |
Series 1, 2005: Julio César Meza Series 2, 2006: Francisco Villarreal |
Marbelle (Season 1-present) Juan Carlos Coronel (season 1-present) José Gaviria (Season 1-present) Wilfrido Vargas (El Factor Xs 2) |
Andrea Serna |
El factor X: La Batalla de las Estrellas | Season 1, 2006: Luz Amparo Alvarez | ||||
El factor Xs | Season 1, 2006: Andres Camilo Hurtado Season 2, 2007: Camilo Echeverry Correa |
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Czech Republic | X Factor | TV Nova Website |
Season 1, 2008: Jiří Zonyga |
Gábina Osvaldová Ondřej Soukup Petr Janda |
Leoš Mareš |
Czech Republic Slovakia |
X Faktor | TV Prima TV JOJ |
Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | TBD | TBD |
Denmark | X Factor | DR Website |
Season 1, 2008: Martin Hoberg Hedegaard |
Remee (Seasons 1-3) Lina Rafn (Seasons 1-2) Thomas Blachman (Seasons 1-2 & 4) Carsten "Soulshock" Schack (Season 3) Pernille Rosendahl (Seasons 3-4) Cutfather (Season 4) |
Lise Rønne (Seasons 1-2 & 4) Signe Muusmann (Season 3) |
Finland | X Factor | MTV3 Website |
Season 1, 2010: Elias Hämäläinen |
Linda Brava Renne Korppila Gugi Kokljuschkin |
X Factor Heikki Paasonen Xtra Factor Jukka Rossi |
France Wallonia |
X Factor | France W9 (2009) M6 (2011) Website series 1 Website series 2 Belgium RTL TVI (2009–2011) Website series 1 Website series 2 |
Season 1, 2009: Sébastien Agius |
Current Henry Padovani Olivier Schultheis Véronic DiCaire Christophe Willem Series 1 Marc Cerrone Julie Zenatti Alain Lanty |
Current X Factor Sandrine Corman F@n Factor Jérôme Anthony Former X Factor Alexandre Devoise |
Germany | X Factor | VOX Kick-off on RTL Website |
Season 1, 2010: Edita Abdieski Season 2, 2011: David Pfeffer Season 3, 2012: Upcoming season |
Sarah Connor (Season 1-3) Till Brönner (Season 1-3) George Glueck (Season 1) Das Bo (Season 2-3) |
Jochen Schropp Janin Rheinhardt (Backstage) |
Greece Cyprus |
The X Factor | ANT1 ANT1 Cyprus Website |
Season 1, 2008-2009: Loukas Giorkas Season 2, 2009-2010: Stavros Michalakakos |
Current Giorgos Theofanous Katerina Gagaki Nikos Mouratidis Former George Levendis |
Current Sakis Rouvas (live shows) Giorgos Lianos (audition shows) Maria Sinatsaki (audition shows) Former Despina Kampouri (audition shows) |
Hungary | X-Faktor | RTL Klub Website |
Season 1, 2010: Csaba Vastag Season 2, 2011: Tibor Kocsis Season 3, 2012: Upcoming season |
Current Feró Nagy Péter Geszti Ildikó Keresztes Miklós Malek |
X Faktor Nóra Ördög Sebestyén Balázs (2010) After X Attila Müller |
Iceland | X Factor | Stöð 2 Website |
Series 1, 2006: Jógvan Hansen |
Einar Bárðarson Elínborg Halldórsdóttir Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson |
Halla Vilhjálmsdóttir |
India | X Factor | Sony Entertainment TV Website |
Season 1, 2011: Geet Sagar | Sonu Nigam Shreya Ghoshal Sanjay Leela Bhansali |
Aditya Narayan |
Indonesia | X Factor | RCTI Website |
Season 1, 2013: Upcoming season |
TBA | TBA |
Italy | X Factor | Rai 2 (2008-2010) Rai 4 (2009-2010) Website Sky Uno (2011) Website |
Season 1, 2008: Aram Quartet |
Current Morgan (Series 1 - 3, 5) |
X Factor Francesco Facchinetti (Seasons 1 - 4) Alessandro Cattelan(Season 5) Xtra Factor Francesco Facchinetti (Season 4) Alessandra Barzaghi (Season 4) Max Novaresi (Season 5) Brenda Lodigiani (Season 5) |
Kazakhstan | X Factor | Perviy Kanal Evraziya Website |
Season 1, 2011: Dariya Gabdull
Season 2, 2012: Upcoming season |
Nagima Eskalieva Alexander Shevchenko Sultana Karazhigitova |
Adil Liyan |
Lithuania | X Faktorius | TV3 | Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | TBA | TBA |
Netherlands | X Factor | RTL 4 Website |
Season 1, 2007: Sharon Kips |
Current |
Wendy van Dijk |
New Zealand | The X Factor | TV3 | Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | Danni Minogue Daniel Beddingfield TBC |
TBD |
Norway | X Factor | TV 2 Website |
Season 1, 2009: Chand Torsvik Season 2, 2010: Hans Bollandsås |
Current Jan Fredrik Karlsen (Season 1-2) Elisabeth Andreassen (Season 2) Marion Ravn (Season 2) Klaus Sonstad (Season 2) Former |
Current X Factor Ravi Guri Solberg Xtra Factor Peter Moi Brubresko, Katarina Flatland Former X Factor Charlotte Thorstvedt (Season 1) |
Philippines | The X Factor Philippines | ABS-CBN | Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | TBA | KC Concepcion |
Poland | X Factor | TVN Website |
Season 1, 2011: Gienek Loska Season 2, 2012: Upcoming season |
Current Czesław Mozil Kuba Wojewódzki One other to be announced Former Maja Sablewska |
Jarosław Kuźniar |
Romania | X Factor | Antena 1 Website |
Season 1, 2011-2012: Andrei Leonte Season 2, 2012: Upcoming season |
Mihai Morar Paula Seling Adrian Sînă |
Răzvan Simion Dani Oțil |
Russia | Sekret Uspekha Секрет Успеха |
RTR Website |
Season 1, 2005: Vladimir Sapovskiy Season 2, 2007: Nikolai Timohin |
Season 1 Valeriy Meladze Katerina Von Gechmen-Valdek Aleksandr Revzin Valeriya Season 2 Valery Garkalin Tigran Keosayan |
Season 1 Aleksey Chumakov Elena Vorobey Season 2 Tutti Larsen |
Faktor A Фактор А |
Russia 1 Website |
Season 1, 2011: Sergei Savin | Lolita Milyavskaya Roman Emelyanov Boris Krasnov Alla Pugacheva (chairperson) |
Philipp Kirkorov Vladimir Zelenski |
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Slovenia | X Factor (Slovenia) | POP TV | Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | TBA | TBA |
Serbia | X Faktor Srbija | Prva | Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | TBA | TBA |
Spain | Factor X | Cuatro Website |
Season 1, 2007: María Villalón Season 2, 2008: Vocal Tempo Season 3, 2012: Upcoming season |
Miqui Puig Eva Perales Jorge Flo |
Núria Roca |
Sweden | X Factor | TV4 | Season 1, 2012: Upcoming season | TBA | TBA |
Ukraine | The X Factor | STB Website Website |
Season 1, 2010-2011: Olexiy Kuznetsov |
Igor Kondratyuk Sergei Sosedov Yolka Seryoga |
Oksana Marchenko |
United Kingdom[nb 1] | The X Factor |
Series 1, 2004: Steve Brookstein |
Current Gary Barlow Kelly Rowland Louis Walsh Tulisa Contostavlos Former Simon Cowell Dannii Minogue Brian Friedman Sharon Osbourne Cheryl Cole |
Current Dermot O'Leary Caroline Flack (The Xtra Factor) Olly Murs (The Xtra Factor) Former Kate Thornton Ben Shephard (The Xtra Factor) Fearne Cotton (The Xtra Factor) Holly Willoughby (The Xtra Factor) Konnie Huq (The Xtra Factor) |
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The X Factor: Battle of the Stars |
Series 1, 2006: Lucy Benjamin |
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United States | The X Factor USA | Fox |
Season 1, 2011: Melanie Amaro |
Current Simon Cowell Paula Abdul L.A. Reid Nicole Scherzinger[nb 2] Former Cheryl Cole |
Current Steve Jones |
Over the years many controversies have taken place. Right at the start, Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller claimed that The X Factor had copied the format of his own show; through his company 19 TV he filed a lawsuit against The X Factor producers FremantleMedia, Simon Cowell, and Cowell's company Syco.[9] The parties involved reached settlement out of court.
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