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- For the original UK version, see The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. The programs are produced by executive producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco TV (which will be merged into Greenwell Entertainment as a result of a recent partnership with Sir Philip Green). The competitions, now held in various countries, pit talented contestants against each other. These contestants are talented aspiring pop singers and performers drawn from public auditions. 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 also judges and mentors on the UK series. The UK version is responsible for the launch of Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Leon Jackson, Alexandra Burke, and JLS.
Contents |
The X Factor series
| Region/country | Local title | Network | Series and winners | Judges | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arab World |
The X Factor, XSeer Al Najah | Rotana TV | Season 1, 2006:  Rajaa KasbaniSeason 2, 2007:  Mohammad Al Majthoub |
Khaled Al-Shaikh Michel Elefteriades Anoushka |
Joelle Rahme |
 Australia |
The X Factor | Network Ten | Series 1, 2005: Random |
Daniel MacPherson |
|
 Belgium |
X Factor Official website |
VTM | Season 1, 2005: Udo Mechels Season 2, 2008: Dirk De Smet Season 3, 2010: Upcoming season |
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 | PRO.BG | Season 1, 2010: Upcoming season | ||
 Colombia |
El Factor X Official website |
RCN TV |
Season 1, 2005: Julio César Meza |
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: Batalla de Estrellas | Season 1, 2006: Luz Amparo Alvarez | ||||
| El Factor Xs | Season 1, 2006: Andres Camilo Hurtado Season 2, 2007: Camilo Echeverry Correa Season 3, 2010: Upcoming season[1][2] |
||||
 Czech Republic |
X Factor Official website |
TV Nova |
Season 1, 2008: Jiří Zonyga, "George" |
Gábina Osvaldová Ondřej Soukup Petr Janda |
Leoš Mareš |
 Denmark |
X Factor Official website |
DR |
Season 1, 2008: Martin Hoberg Hedegaard |
Remee (Season 1-present) Lina Rafn (Season 1-Sæson 2) Thomas Blachman (Season 1-Sæson 2) Carsten Schack (Season 3-present) Pernille Rosendahl (Season 3-present) |
Lise Rønne (Season 1-Sæson 2) Signe Muusmann (Season 3-present) |
 Finland |
X Factor Official website |
MTV3 | Season 1, 2010 Upcoming season | Linda Brava Renne Korppila Gugi Kokljuschkin |
Heikki Paasonen Jukka Rossi |
 France |
X Factor Official website |
W9 RTL-TVi (French Community of Belgium) |
Season 1, 2009: Current season |
Marc Cerrone Julie Zenatti Alain Lanty |
Alexandre Devoise |
 Greece Cyprus |
The X Factor Official website |
ANT1 |
Season 1, 2008-2009: Loukas Giorkas |
George Levendis Giorgos Theofanous Katerina Gagaki Nikos Mouratidis |
Sakis Rouvas |
 Iceland |
The X Factor Official website |
Stöð 2 |
Series 1, 2006: Jógvan Hansen |
Einar Bárðarson Elínborg Halldórsdóttir Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson |
Halla Vilhjálmsdóttir |
 India |
Fame X Academy | SAB TV |
Season 1, 2006: Rehaan Khan |
Sophie Choudhary Shilpa Saklani |
|
 Italy |
X Factor Official website |
Rai Due |
Season 1, 2008: Aram Quartet |
Mara Maionchi (Season 1-present) Morgan (Season 1-present) Simona Ventura (Season 1-2) Claudia Mori (Season 3-present) |
Francesco Facchinetti |
 Kazakhstan |
The X Factor | Season 1, 2006: Unknown winner | |||
| Morocco |
Le Facteur X | 2M TV | Season 1, 2006: Unknown winner | ||
| Studio 2M |
Season 1, 2006: Hasnaa Zalarh, Imane Rabya & Yassine Badrate |
Imad Ntifi | |||
 Netherlands |
X Factor Official website |
RTL 4 |
Season 1, 2006-07: Sharon Kips |
Stacey Rookhuizen (2008–present) |
Wendy van Dijk (2006–present) |
 Norway |
X Factor | TV 2 | Season 1, 2009: Current season | Jan Fredrik Karlsen Mira Craig Peter Peters |
Charlotte Thorstvedt |
 Russia |
Секрет Успеха Official website |
RTR | Season 1, 2005: Vladimir Sapovskiy Season 2, 2007: Nikolai Timohin |
Valeriy Meladze (Season 1) Katerina Von Gechmen-Valdek (Season 1) Aleksandr Revzin (Season 1) Valeriya (Season 2) Valery Garkalin (Season 2) Tigran Keosayan (Season 2) |
Aleksey Chumakov (Season 1) Elena Vorobey (Season 1) Tutti Larsen(Season 2) |
 Spain |
Factor X Official website |
Cuatro | Season 1, 2007: María Villalón Season 2, 2008: Vocal Tempo |
Miqui Puig Eva Perales Jorge Flo |
Núria Roca |
 United Kingdom Ireland |
The X Factor Official website |
Series 1, 2004: |
Current |
Current |
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Dispute over rights to format
Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller claimed the format of The X Factor was copied from his own show and through his company 19 TV filed a lawsuit against The X Factor producers FremantleMedia, Simon Cowell, and Cowell's companies Simco and Syco.[3] A high court hearing began in London in November 2005, the outcome awaited with interest by media lawyers for its potential effect on the legal situation regarding the copyrighting of formats. However the hearing was quickly adjourned and a settlement was reached out of court at the end of the month.[4]
American version
In April 2009 reports surfaced that Cowell was attempting to launch The X Factor in America after his contract ends with American Idol with the ninth season.[5]. Under the current contract Cowell is forbidden from launching The X Factor as a rival show to Idol.[5] In summer 2009 reports surfaced that the American version would launch on NBC, the same broadcaster that airs America's Got Talent. Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole from the British version and former Idol judge Paula Abdul are speculated to become judges of the American version.[6][7][8] In September of that year Fox, the broadcaster of American Idol, was reportedly close to signing a deal to launch the American version with the condition Cowell also returns as a judge for the tenth and eleventh seasons of American Idol.[8]
Euro X Factor
On 9 December 2006 the Daily Mirror revealed that Simon Cowell intends to launch a "Euro X Factor" within two years.[9] The show, if launched, would feature European countries staging their own X Factor contests, with a winner announced for each. The individual winners would then take part in the "Euro X Factor". The concept is similar to that of World Idol and the Eurovision Song Contest; however, unlike these shows "Euro X Factor" would progress over a number of weeks, with one act eliminated each week, until an eventual international winner is found. It is anticipated that such a show could attract over 100 million viewers per episode, which would make it the world's biggest talent competition. As of December 2009 this has not happened.
Criticism
The Danish version of The X Factor has been criticized by Danish music contract expert and consultant for The Danish Musicians' Association (Dansk Musiker Forbund) Mikael Højris.
According to Højris, the contracts for participation in the show are unfair for participants and almost amount to serfdom to DR1 (the channel airing the show) stating that clauses in the contracts forbid the participants - whether they pass the first round or not - from performing or participating in any other musical event for three months.
He also criticises that participants are obliged to travel at their own expense to any location the programme requires them to be present at and that participants are not paid during their participation in the show, even if participating prevents them from attending a regular day job.[10] In the UK, performers' union Equity has referred to the fact that contestants are not paid as "cheap exploitation".[11]
See also
References
- ^ "Factor Xs 2010", PortalMundos, 11 September 2009, (Spanish).
- ^ "Factor Xs", La Fiscalia, 11 September 2009, (Spanish).
- ^ 'X Factor copyright case adjourned' BBC News retrieved 15 May 2007
- ^ "X Factor copyright case settled", BBC News, retrieved 15 May 2007
- ^ a b Hurrel, Will (2009-04-22). "Cowell Hints at US X Factor". http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/multi-platform/news/cowell-hints-at-us-x-factor/2020988.article. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ Nissim, Mayer (2009-07-03). "Cheryl Cole to host US X Factor". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.com/xfactor/a163317/cheryl-cole-to-host-us-x-factor.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (2009-07-04). "Louis Walsh tipped for US X Factor". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.com/xfactor/news/a163468/louis-walsh-tipped-for-us-x-factor.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (2009-09-23). "X Factor Key in Simon Cowell Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1224fdfbab2618f3c31e00acc93f1587. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ "EURO FACTOR EXCLUSIVE", The Mirror, 9 December 2007.
- ^ [1] Berlingske Tidende 18 December 2007
- ^ Equity: 'X Factor is cheap exploitation' Digital Spy
External links
- X Factor 2008 - Official X Factor Belgium 2008 page
- The X Factor at itv.com
- X Factor Official site of X Factor Denmark at DR
- The X Factor at talkbackthames.tv
- The X Factor 2008 - The very latest X Factor Downloads, News and Gossip at xfactornews.com
- The X Factor at Unreality TV
- The Official site of The X Factor - Italy Official site of X Factor Italy
- X Factor UK News and Updates X Factor UK News and Updates
- Greek X Factor Homepage The Official site of X Factor Greece
- Norwegian X Factor Homepage Official site of X Factor Norway
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