Simon Cowell has signed a £100million deal to keep The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent on ITV for another three years.
There had been speculation that he would pull out because he will be launching a singing talent contest in the U.S. next year.But he has agreed a new deal which pays for the costs of three more series of talent shows The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, starting in 2011.The news comes on the back of fantastic ratings figures for the show, which attracted 15.2million viewers on Sunday night.
The X Factor
Simon Cowell has agreed a new deal which pays for the costs of three more series of talent shows The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, starting in 2011
The results programme scored five million more viewers at its peak than BBC rival Strictly Come Dancing.
And a triumphant Cowell is also expected to sign a separate talent deal with ITV thought to be worth a further £20million over three years.
The £100million will be split between the TV judge’s company Syco and co-producers Talkback Thames.
The X Factor’s live shows are expensive to make. They cost about £1.5million per weekend – but the deal will still leave Cowell with a profit.
Britain's Got Talent
The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent are the UK's most popular entertainment television programmes on any channel
However, he makes his real money from the spin-off music sales, phone revenues, and programme sales abroad as well as his individual talent deal.
The new deal extends ITV’s nine-year relationship with Cowell until 2013.
Britain’s Got Talent will return to ITV1 in late spring next year, while The X Factor will be back on screens next autumn.
Cheryl Cole / Simon Cowell
There was a peak audience of 19.3million for The X Factor final last year
It is thought that the judge will take a reduced role on Britain’s Got Talent next year. He is likely to miss the auditions for the show that launched the singer Susan Boyle, but he is expected to be back in the UK when the live shows begin.
There will be a new judging line up on the show anyway, as Piers Morgan has signed a deal to replace Larry King on CNN in the U.S.
ITV2 will also continue to broadcast spin-off shows The Xtra Factor and Britain’s Got More Talent.
As part of the agreement ITV has also secured exclusive UK broadcast rights to the U.S. version of The X Factor and America’s Got Talent for ITV2.
Last night Cowell said: ‘I am thrilled this deal has been concluded with ITV to enable our relationship to continue to develop.
‘I am committed to making sure both shows get bigger and better every year. I have a lot to thank ITV for.
'They have been key in making The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent the UK’s biggest television shows.’
Peter Fincham, ITV’s director of television, said: ‘The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent are the shows that have helped define the last decade of television in the UK and have become more than just a talking point: they are a national obsession.
'And I’m delighted that our viewers can continue to enjoy them on ITV over the next three years.’
