ITV has assured X Factor boss Simon Cowell that it has enough money to do a revamp of the show as planned. “What we’re trying to do is make better shows than we’ve done before,” Cowell told the BBC. “If we can’t do that, there’s no point in doing it.” Filming on the US X Factor stars next March, which could mean moving the next Britain’s Got Talent series to Fall 2011. Cowell said that he was setting up a joint venture with new CNN host Piers Morgan for talk shows. “He’s a brilliant interviewer,” said Cowell. The X Factor boss also called Lou Reed “petty and pathetic” for not allowing Susan Boyle to perform his song Perfect Day on America’s Got Talent. Boyle arrived in Los Angeles yesterday hoping to sing the song, only to find permission had been refused. The X Factor impresario said he’d become bored of doing American Idol after 10 years “especially when you’re not producing it. I got fed up”.


I wanted to post this question when Tim did his previous X-factor story about the 2011 UK season being delayed, but comments were turned off.
Can someone please explain how Saturday nights in the UK are one of the most popular nights on TV when in the US Saturdays are a wasteland of repeats? X-Factor is one of the biggest hits on TV and it’s on a Saturday night while US programmers have given up on the evening? Is it a cultural thing – the Brits stay at home and watch the telly Saturdays and then go out pubbing after 11pm? This also applies to Friday nights to a lesser extent – Big Brother UK would hold its evictions Friday night (the US’s second lowest viewing night, I think).
If Preston Beckman programmed the US X-Factor Saturday nights he’s be out of a job in a heartbeat.
I’d say it’s certainly a culture thing. Saturday night ‘teatime’ (ie dinner) TV watching is standard. A time when families will watch TV whilst eating dinner, or spending an evening together watching family-orientated TV shows. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember (The A-Team used to be scheduled at the same time on Saturdays for instance).
Don’t forget that Saturday night was a popular TV viewing night in the US in the recent past. For example, NBC had a very successful comedy block on Saturdays in the late 1980s and early 1990s that included shows like Golden Girls, which had well over 20 million viewers per episode.
In the US, I think the disappearance of hit shows from Saturday nights during the 1990s, plus the inability to find new hit shows to take their place, gradually led ABC, NBC and CBS to schedule encores of their Mon-Fri shows on Saturday because it was more cost-efficient than producing new shows that might not succeed.
In 2010, ratings data show that both Friday and Saturday have turned into virtual ratings wastelands, at least on the broadcast networks.
It’s called 600 channels of cable! The viewers are there on Saturday night they’re just spread across the channels.
How many channel options do they have in the UK when you factor in cable?
Premium channels in the UK are available on most subscription services, Sky (Sat) and Virgin Media (Cable) generally have the same channels showing the same programmes (at different times usually) across the plethora of channels available, I’m sure it’s just like that in the US?
If the programme isn’t syndicated it’s either too old or the channel paid big for exclusive rights.
UK TV is getting just as bad as the US in terms of syndicating everything.
You wouldn’t put a crime drama on a Saturday night, but it’s the traditional night for family viewing and home to most big entertainment shows. Also hugely beneficial to Brit producers who have been able to use it as a testing ground for countless formats that they’ve later exported to the US and around the world.
I’ve always found it interesting that Thursday night is a big TV night in the US – whereas here in the UK, it’s not such a big night. Maybe the weekend has the strongest programming because that’s when most families are likely to be together.
Although to be honest, a lot of Saturday TV is rubbish, despite what the broadcasters say. After 9pm, reruns, old films and formulaic cop shows.
Destination viewing is destination viewing (even in the age of DVRs). If the program is good, even if HUT levels are low, the show can get some decent numbers.