'The X Factor' Canceled; Simon Cowell To Host New Musical Quiz Show

KEY POINTS

"The X Factor" has seen a massive decline in ratings in the past few years
Simon Cowell will host a musical quiz show, "Walk The Line"
"The X Factor" aired a total of 445 episodes

After an impressive 17 years on the air, "The X Factor" has been canceled in the United Kingdom and its creator Simon Cowell is moving forward to a new show.

British media company ITV announced Thursday that it "has no current plans for the next series of 'The X Factor' at this stage."

Cowell's next project will be a musical quiz show, titled "Walk the Line," for ITV. It will also stream on ITV Hub, Variety reported.

"The X Factor" showcased talented singers from across the U.K. The top two performers of each episode were allowed to make a decision whether to go home with a cash prize or to continue competing. The longer the performers stayed in the contest, the bigger the prize money they received, with a "stay or play" moment at the end of each episode.

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In February 2020, just before a nationwide lockdown was enforced in the U.K., Variety reported that the show would be taking a break for 12 months. The report said it will return this year despite its poor ratings.

But a few months later, ITV plc Managing Director Kevin Lygo said at the virtual Edinburgh TV Festival that there was no guarantee "The X Factor" would ever make its TV comeback.

"It's not definitely returning, it might return, and if it does the format will tweak," he said at the time. "Simon controls it more than we do. When does he want it to come back, how does he want to come back? Hopefully, we can be part of it."

The show's ability to draw viewers has waned over the years.

A total of 19.6 million viewers watched Matt Cardle beat One Direction in 2010, with a 60% audience share.

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However, by 2019, the show's rating dwindled and it had only 2.95 million viewers. Its ratings have been declining further since then, The Guardian reported.

"The X Factor" began airing in 2004 and has completed a total of 445 episodes in 15 seasons. The last episode was aired in 2018. The show was jointly produced by FremantleMedia's Thames Television and Cowell's production company, Syco Entertainment.