X Factor: The Band ‘loses A QUARTER of viewers during first episode

 X Factor: The Band reportedly saw plummeting ratings during its first episode, when a third of viewers turned off by the end of the show. 

In figures from Overnights.TV rating system, numbers fell from 4.12million at the start of the show to 3.13million at the end, with the numbers combining both SD and HD.

Sources told The Sun that the figures ‘signal the beginning of the end’ for the Simon Cowell-fronted show, which has a one-year contract.  

Shocking: X Factor: The Band reportedly saw plummeting ratings during its first episode, when a third of viewers turned off by the end of the show

The show’s peak audience is said to be less than a third of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’s triumphant 8.2m in the same week.

A source told The Sun: ‘The X Factor has been an amazing show and a huge hit for the majority of its 15 years on TV. Everyone has loved it, but all good things come to an end and clearly the decline is now terminal…

‘These viewing figures are not enough to sustain a prime-time slot on ITV, especially given the budget it takes to put on a show of this scale… They have tried changing the format several times, but viewers are continuing to switch off in their droves.’ 

The show was outperformed by Question Time, where viewers shot from 4.12million to 4.16million at the end.

Oh dear: In figures from Overnights.TV rating system, numbers fell from 4.12million at the start of the show to 3.13million at the end, with the numbers combining both SD and HD

Sources told MailOnline: ‘The show performed well with younger audiences and despite the Question Time special this week being targeted at the under 30s, X Factor still pulled in 50% more of those key 16-34 year-old viewers!’

MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.  

During Monday’s episode, viewers poked fun at the new show’s ‘scaled-back’ format as judges Simon and Nicole Scherzinger kicked off the first round of auditions.

Fans claimed the competition took inspiration from 2002’s Popstars: The Rivals, which saw female band Girls Aloud and male group One True Voice win the series.

Simon’s latest talent show – which is direct competition to Little Mix’s 2020 series The Search – featured a range of aspiring singers eager to land a position in the next big supergroups, including students, an Instagram influencer, and even a reality star.

Need of a refresh? Fans claimed the competition took inspiration from 2002’s Popstars: The Rivals, which saw female band Girls Aloud and male group One True Voice win the series

Alongside Simon, 60, and Nicole, 41, the initial round boasted appearances from DJ Naughty Boy, songwriter Carla Williams and producers Lil’ Eddie and Fred Ball.

The group ditched the country’s biggest arenas and stadiums in favour of the media personality’s moderate office at Sony HQ in London, and fans were left amused at the contrast between the new series and the show’s main edition.

Telling his team of music experts what he’s looking for, Simon opened the show by declaring: ‘We’re looking with people with personality, humour, a sense of where they are going… we’re not looking for puppets.’ 

Peace out: Sources told the publication that the figures ‘signal the beginning of the end’ for the Simon Cowell-fronted show, which has a one-year contract