“To all of us at FOX, Simon is more than one of the most prolific TV personalities of our time –he’s part of our family.  A consummate showman and partner, there’s no one more passionate or creative than Simon, and we feel so fortunate to have enjoyed such a wonderful, collaborative relationship with him over the past 12 years,” said Kevin Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “Unfortunately, there is no X Factor USA without Simon Cowell, but we understand and support his decision to focus on the international formats and on the next phase of his personal life. We wish him the very best, and it’s our sincere hope that we work together again soon.”

Whether it be due to reality competition overload, a lack of panel chemistry, or some flaw in the show’s formula that didn’t allow it to adapt to US audiences, The X Factor was never able to become the force in the United States that it’s been in other countries around the world. It might have produced its most promising winner (Alex & Sierra) during its most recent season, but by that time, the show had dipped considerably in the ratings and its three-hour presence on the schedule wasn’t allowing FOX to grow new scripted programming. Now, FOX shows that were previously on the bubble (Almost Human, The Mindy Project, etc.) have to be breathing a sigh of relief, as the network will have a sizeable amount of real estate to cover this coming fall and could offer up a surprise renewal or two this coming May.

Will you miss The X Factor? Do you think that Simon made the right choice in returning to The X Factor UK? How will FOX handle the additional three hours of fall scheduling space that the absence of The X Factor gives them?

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Both the Talent shows want to build a worldwide audience and gauge maximum revenue from online advertisements and highlighting national shows.

London – the all-time hit Talent shows The X Factor and Got Talent got their exclusive global YouTube channels, launched by Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia, of RTL Group, which is also joint-venture of Sony and Simon Cowell. Although, the shows had their channels on Google’s highly popular video site, but they classified according to countries. As per the producers, this step has been taken towards building a global audience and a single platform, where the viewers, from all across the world can visit, watch the shows, engage and share views through a single channel.

The channels are all set to showcase the best and most popular content, derived from all the local franchises of the show, worldwide. And what’s more, the producers have also decided to create some brand new content, like weekly highlights, playlists of the best and worst auditions, spin-off shows and much more, to be released exclusively on these YouTube channels.

CEO, Digital & Branded Entertainment of FremantleMedia, Keith Hindle said that through YouTube, the shows will be able to obtain a global reach, for the very first time. He also said that these channels are the best way to showcase a brand and at the same time, make way into the hearts of viewers, who are already very active and love to engage through this amazing online community.

‘Got Talent’ has quite recently launched its 55^th local version, which is an achievement par excellence in the history of talent shows. On the other hand, The X Factor has made its way through 25 territories, across the world. Regional channels of Got Talent have been hugely popular in the past few years, where Britain’s Got Talent’s YouTube Channel has achieved 1.4 million views, and The X Factor UK has reached around 1.7 billion views. Let’s see how many manifolds it’s going to be for the global channels!

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London – The eleventh Season kick-off of BBC’s celebrity dance series, Strictly Come Dancing received higher ratings than the last year and not only that, it also left behind ITV’s Simon Cowell singing talent show, The X Factor, in terms of average viewership. On Saturday night, while an average of 8.4 million viewers watched Strictly, an increase from the 8 million last year, X Factor attracted an audience of 8 million or 8.3 million, after including the viewers of the repeat of the show. X Factor saw a decline from the last week premier show’s viewership, which was an audience of 9.2 million people.

And if we look at the viewership in terms of peak ratings, we have a mixed picture here.

While, for the first five minutes, Strictly saw a peak viewership of 9.4 million, The X Factor was at 9.1 million viewers. It’s after the instantaneous repeat episode, the show on ITV made it to the top. ITV said in a statement “The X Factor drew a peak audience of 9.5 million viewers last night, the highest peak audience of the night”. One week before, the peak viewership was 10.3 billion, and then what went wrong? It’s quite evident that X Factor is losing out on its audience due to Simon not being on the judging panel. Another reason of these slightly lower ratings is Strictly airing before The X Factor.

In 2012, The X Factor season finale saw an average viewership of 10.9 million and 11.1 million after the immediate repeat, which was still a decline from the 13.1 million in 2011 and 17.2 million viewers in the 2010 season finale episode. It was X Factor’s lowest-rated season finale in the UK since the year 2006, besides the known fact is that this ITV’s show created by Simon Cowell is the highest rated and watched television series in British Television.

Strictly, on the other hand, saw an average viewership of 12.4 Million, higher than the previous number of 12.2 million viewers. Moreover, the celebrity dancing series saw stronger average ratings than the singing talent show in several other weeks.

Let’s see which of these shows will build up the maximum viewership in the coming weeks. Which one’s your favorite? Share your views with us. 

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You can check out FOX’s 2013 schedule here, as well as trailers for its new shows here and the premiere dates for NBC, CBS, and The CW here, here, and here.

Which FOX shows will you be watching next season? Do you think they ordered too many new shows to be able to fit everything into the season? Will they find their next big hit out of the most recent series orders they made?

Wednesday, September 11th
8:00 The X Factor (Season Premiere, Part One)
9:00 Masterchef (Season Finale)

Thursday, September 12th
8:00 – 10:00 The X Factor (Season Premiere, Part Two)

Monday, September 16th
8:00 Bones
9:00 Sleepy Hollow

Tuesday, September 17th
8:00 Dads
8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
9:00 New Girl
9:30 The Mindy Project

Wednesday, September 18th
8:00 – 10:00 The X Factor (All-New, Regular Time Period)

Thursday, September 19th
8:00 The X Factor (All-New, Regular Time Period)
9:00 Glee

Friday, September 27th
8:00 Masterchef Junior
9:00 Sleepy Hollow (Encore)

Sunday, September 29th
8:00 The Simpsons
8:30 Bob’s Burgers
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 American Dad

Monday, November 4th
8:00 Almost Human
9:00 Sleepy Hollow

Friday, November 8th
8:00 Bones (Time Period Premiere)
9:00 Raising Hope
9:30 Enlisted

The post FOX Announces Fall 2013 Premiere Dates appeared first on TVHackr.

-Mario Lopez will be returning for the third season of The X Factor, slated to premiere this fall. His season two co-host Khloe Kardashian-Odom, meanwhile, has gone the way of Steve Jones and won’t be returning.

-History’s Bonnie & Clyde miniseries has started production in Baton Rouge. Starring Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) and Holliday Grainger (The Borgias), the event tells the story of intuitive criminal Clyde Barrow, fame hungry Bonnie Parker and the rest of the notorious Barrow Gang as they swept through the Central United States committing small-time robberies and daring bank heists and will be simulcast on History and Lifetime later this year.

-Comedy Central has officially canceled Futurama ahead of its June 19th summer premiere date. The series finale is set for September 4th and will cap off a summer season with guest stars ranging from Larry Bird and Burt Ward to Sarah Silverman and George Takei. Producers are reportedly exploring other options to keep the series alive.

-Ahead of Lost Girl‘s third season finale tonight, Syfy has launched Lost Girl: The Game, a free mobile gaming app available for download on iOS and Android devices. The game, written by the show’s writers, allows players to create a customized Fae character that they can use to venture through the world of Lost Girl, including creating their own avatars, embarking on missions and uncovering hidden objects, in order to score points and unlock levels.

-USA has ordered five additional Psych scripts, which would bring the eighth season total to 13. However, script orders don’t always translate to episode orders, though the sleuth dramedy has been performing very well since its winter premiere.

-At their upfront presentation today, E! unveiled an extensive programming slate of both scripted and unscripted content. Set to premiere this year are The Wanted Life, a docuseries about British boy band The Wanted (June 2nd); Total Divas, following a group of WWE divas outside the ring (July 28th); Pop Innovators, an interview show that celebrates the most influential names in pop culture – in their own words; The Soup Investigates, a spinoff of The Soup that finds Joel McHale and a series of reporters delving into various pop culture mysteries; Hello Ross, an interactive talk show led by Ross Mathews; and The Trend, featuring a team of experts talking all things design, fashion, and beauty.

Among the subjects for unscripted programming are wine families of Sonoma; female poker players; real estate agents; and paparazzi. Scripted development includes Laurel Canyon, a drama from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage that centers on a young woman returning to her dysfunctional family in Laurel Canyon with her son after hearing her rock-star legend father has passed away; Songbyrd, about a young songwriter with an unsatisfactory love life and featuring the songs and experience of prolific songwriter Diane Warren; Expectations, a soap about a morally corrupt family in the diamond business; Dirty/Pretty, a dark comedy about a blue collar guy from south Boston who gets scouted to be a model in Miami; and Fortunate Son, following a society golden boy turned criminal informant.

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According to the future ex-judge for The X Factor, his decision to leave the show was so that he could focus on his company, Epic Records, which he has been “neglecting” while working on The X Factor. In an interview with Access Hollywood, LA said that he was saddened to be leaving, “but only a little bit,” which begs the question as to if there is more to his departure than he is letting on.

The Epic Records CEO made it no secret that he was unhappy with being “stuck” with the older contestants on this season of The X Factor, even telling the singers themselves that they were his last choice.  Throughout the season, he seemed to become increasingly frustrated with the process and some of the contestants, even telling the ladies of 5^th Harmony that they should be called “5^th Unison” due to their lack harmony within their performances.

Regardless of why LA has chosen to leave the show, his expertise will be missed, but undoubtedly replaced with, hopefully someone in the business with as much experience as him and not another judge that is simply on the show for shock value.

Who do you think should replace LA Reid on The X Factor judges’ panel? Share your thoughts!

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

The post The X Factor’s LA Reid To Depart Show After Season 2 appeared first on TVHackr.

Last week’s first place finisher, Tate Stevens, had another good night as he stayed true to his roots with Craig Morgan’s “Bonfire” and Clay Walker’s “Fall,” which he dedicated to his wife for their 15^th anniversary. After two quality performances, Simon declared that Tate was as likely to go back to his old job as he was to fly to the moon. I think that means that Simon thinks he’s a sure thing.

Wunderkind, Carly Rose Sonenclar, who has yet to do anything but amaze, faltered a little for the first time last night when she took on two iconic song choices which made her seem, as Simon put it, “hesitant.” Last week, Carly wowed everyone with a truly unique cover of a Justin Bieber song, but this week, it seemed that risk taking was not on the agenda, as she powerhoused her way through Elton John’s “Your Song” and John Lennon’s “Imagine with less tenderness and control than she maybe should have. Hopefully, America won’t hold it against her because she really does deserve a place in the finals.

Boy band, Emblem 3 had one of their best nights, even managing to get a few words of praise from Demi Lovato. With a fairly solid performance of Peter Frampton’s “Baby I Love Your Way” and an even better performance of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” the trio managed to even coerce a bit of an overzealous compliment out of LA Reid when he stated they were “teen heartthrobs like The Beatles.” They were good last night, but not THAT good, LA.

Last up for the night was girl group, 5^th Harmony, who were determined to prove that they could, indeed, harmonize.  With what was one of their better performances to date, the girls took on Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Could Happen” and while there were harmonies to be heard, I’m not sure if they were from the girls themselves or the backup singers hiding in the background. Their second song of the night, Shontelle’s “Impossible,” did not go over as well, largely in part due to the fact that they already sang it previously in the competition. LA deemed the repeat performance “lazy,” perhaps putting the final nail in the 5^th Harmony coffin.

Tonight on The X Factor, unlike previous results shows, only one contestant will be saying goodbye to the competition. In addition, the rankings will remain a mystery as the final three head into next week’s finale.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

The post The X Factor Recap: Who Will Make it to the Finals? appeared first on TVHackr.

First up for the night was the girl who continues to hang on by a thread, CeCey Frey, with Coach Demi Lovato’s song choice, “The Edge of Glory.” While not good, it also wasn’t the worst she’s ever done, therefore putting us all at big risk for having to watch her yet another week on the show. CeCe’s second song of the night was Katy Perry’s “Part of Me,” to which she promptly butchered (Phew!).

The Over 25’s last hope for a win, Tate Stevens, had an uncharacteristically rough night with his first song, Bon Jovi’s “Livin on a Prayer,” falling a bit flat with the judges. Thankfully, America knew better than his coach, LA Reid and chose Garth Brook’s “If Tomorrow Never Comes” for his second song, which allowed him to shine and earn back some of the votes he may have lost with the first performance.

Simon Cowell’s Groups continued to hang in there with both Emblem 3 and Fifth Harmony still in the game. Emblem 3 held their own last night with a quality, if not predictable, performance of Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are.” For America’s song choice, they sang Alphaville’s “Forever Young” and did it justice as well. Fifth Harmony also struggled through last night with Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” a performance which LA Reid felt inclined to point out contained no harmony, and Demi Lovato’s “Give Your Heart a Break,” a song choice Mr. Cowell found annoying.

The Teens group continued to stand strong with both Diamond White and Carly Rose Sonenclar left in the running for the title. Diamond White, who has narrowly escaped elimination on more than one occasion (and actually was eliminated on another), had a good night with James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds” (how very ironic of America to choose this song). Carly Rose, as usual, went above and beyond what any of the other contestants are even capable of with her own take on Justin Bieber’s “As Long as You Love Me” and a very powerful performance of Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy.”

At this point, it is very clear who should win this competition and should someone else take the crown on finale night, it won’t be because they are genuinely the most talented. While this may seem appalling to some because it is supposed to be a talent show, the truth is, The X Factor is looking for the artist that is the most marketable and who will make the most out of a $5 million contract. Will a somewhat shy 13-year old be able to sell as many records as say, a country crooner or a boy band with a million screaming preteen fans? These are the things to consider as we move into The X Factor’s final weeks. Either way, you know my vote:  CeCe out tonight and Carly for the win.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

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Starting off the night was Diamond White from the ‘Teens’ group who took on Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” in an attempt to break out of the ballad box. As she bounced around the stage and flashed her charming smile, she certainly did look as though she were having fun, which was very nice to see, however, vocally, she seemed to struggle with keeping the notes while moving around so much.  The other remaining contender from the ‘Teens’ group last night, Carly Rose Sonenclar, gave another awe inspiring performance with her rendition of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” which led the judges to continue to question if she was actually even human. At this point, it is apparent that Carly is truly a bit a prodigy and that regardless of what happens on The X Factor, she will be important to the music industry in the future.

On the other end of the age spectrum, the ‘Over 25’ group continued to try to maintain their domination of places in the top 3 with Vino Alan taking the stage first with the Righteous Brothers’ classic “You’ve Lost That Love and Feeling,” the song his coach, LA Reid, suggested he switch to at the last minute. Unfortunately for Vino, it seemed that the last minute change did not serve him well, as he seemed unpolished and a bit awkward. Tate Stevens, who came in second last week, took Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” for a spin and proved exactly why he has been at the top of the leader board repeatedly throughout the competition.

The struggling ‘Young Adults’ group was very obviously trying to push the envelope last night with Paige Thomas even giving an almost theatrical performance of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” While it seemed a bit awkward at times to me, she did look like she was having fun for the first time and the judges raved about it, making it one of her most successful performances to date. CeCe Frey, on the other hand, was a hot mess with her horribly shaky and nauseatingly flashy attempt at Patti Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade.” Even her runs and “improvisations” were contrived and taken directly from Christina Aguilera’s version of the song.

Simon Cowell’s Groups certainly brought everything they had to the table last night, with Fifth Harmony taking on Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger,” which seemed appropriate in light of one of the group’s members coping with the death of her grandfather. While the singing was undeniably good, the girls never moved anywhere on the stage throughout the entire song, which, with such an upbeat song, seemed very awkward. Emblem 3, on the other hand, moved all over the stage while performing the Monkees’ hit “I’m a Believer” which, in my opinion, really showed a direction they could head in and be very successful.  La Reid and Simon Cowell were both very enthusiastic about their extremely entertaining performance, while Demi just didn’t get it, a sentiment that can only be offered by someone with no appreciation for nostalgic masterpieces like that song.

Tonight, the final 8 will become 6 when two more contestants are voted off on the live results show.  While one of my picks for elimination tonight is an easy one (can we finally tell CeCe goodbye?), the other is a bit harder to nail down since we are getting to a point in the competition where it is inevitable to see genuine talent head home.  If I had to factor a guess, despite her change of pace performance, Paige Thomas may be in trouble as well.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

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The X Factor said a tearful goodbye to two members of Britney Spears’ teens group when Beatrice Miller and Arin Ray were eliminated from the competition.  It wasn’t all bad news, however, for Ms. Spears on last week’s Thanksgiving episode, because her other team member, Carly Rose Sonenclar was named the top performer of the week, having earned the most number of votes from the viewers for her amazing rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

It’s beginning to become very clear that the end is approaching, with many of the remaining contestants truly beginning to show that they are standouts amongst the competition.  Simon Cowell’s Emblem 3 seems to get better each week and LA Reid’s Tate Stevens and Vino Alan have both proven to be heavy hitters in the competition. Demi Lovato’s group has struggled throughout the competition with CeCe Frey and Paige Thomas both finding themselves in the bottom two on more than one occasion. Also still in the competition are possible dark horses Diamond White and Fifth Harmony who seem to perform well each week, but just can’t strike a chord with the viewers.

Tonight, the remaining 8 contestants take the stage in order to win the votes of viewers across the country so that they might earn the chance to move on in the competition. Also on tonight’s episode of The X Factor is the premiere of Britney Spears’ new “Scream and Shout” video featuring will.i.am.

The X Factor airs tonight at 8/7c on Fox.

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