Will the X Factor be on TV in 2020? What version will air?
The once-juggernaut series is now facing low ratings, but ITV are still keen to keep it on the air
2019 was a rather unorthodox year for The X Factor, seeing no instalment of the main series but rather two spin-offs in its place.
First came The X Factor: Celebrity which crowned reality star Megan McKenna as the winner, followed closely by The Band which features singers hoping to form the next One Direction or Little Mix.
Neither have seen great success in the ratings, but the show continues to drag itself forward regardless, with yet another series on the way next year.
Here's everything we know about The X Factor 2020...
Will The X Factor be back next year?
Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: ITV have made another deal with Simon Cowell and his company Syco, which includes another five series of Britain's Got Talent, but notably only one more series of The X Factor at the time of writing.
This means the show will be back in 2020, but beyond that point its fate remains a mystery.
What version of The X Factor will air in 2020?
Right now, that too is up for speculation, as it's unclear whether the original format will return or something else entirely.
Earlier in 2019, Cowell cryptically told The Sun: "Next year the main X Factor show will change again and we’ve got something very, very exciting, that I can’t get into yet, but it’s a four-year plan."
We've come up with some ideas for what exactly that could mean for the long-running competition here.
Whichever form it takes, it's clear that Cowell will do everything he can to keep the show running, including continuing to shake up the formula.
"I would never want to sit and watch a show like The X Factor slowly fade away and fail but there is only one risk and that’s doing nothing," he said.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.