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Media
ITV still wants Cowell back on X-Factor UK
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 15 August 2013
ITV is putting pressure on Simon Cowell again to return to the judging panel of the UK version of ‘X-Factor’. Cowell’s on-screen involvement in the talent show is back on the agenda as the commercial network negotiates a new contract regarding its airing of the Syco chief’s two talent show franchises, ‘X’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.
Although still one of the biggest shows on British TV, and still bigger than the BBC’s buy-in attempt to compete, ‘The Voice’, ‘X-Factor UK’ has seen its ratings slide since Cowell stepped away from on-screen involvement in order to concentrate on ‘X-Factor USA’.
There have, of course, been reports of ITV pushing for Cowell to return to the UK version of the show pretty much ever since he left it On the latest chatter, Cowell’s PR rep, Max Clifford, told reporters: “Obviously, everybody to do with the show wants Simon because he gives it an extra quality, we understand that, but with his commitments [in the US] he simply can’t be in two places at once”.
As previously reported, there were also rumours recently that Cowell had decided not to return to the UK edition of the show this year, due to that whole having-a-baby-with-a-friend’s-wife thing.
In related news, the New York Post has claimed that Cowell is considering selling some or all of his stake in the Syco empire, a joint venture with Sony Music. Sony itself might be a bidder for some of Cowell’s equity in the music and media company, though the Post indicates that albeit informal conversations may have also taken place with third parties.