Simon Cowell is defending his decision to chop down the amount of X Factor live shows this series from the usual ten.
The ITV reality competition is being reformatted to focus more on the audition and bootcamp rounds this year, as part of an attempt to rejuvenate the X Factor format for its 14th series.
That decision, Simon says, is part of his continuing strategy to keep The X Factor exciting for viewers as ITV continues to compete with Saturday night rival Strictly Come Dancing over on BBC One.
'I just think it's the way things are in all these shows at the moment,' the judge says of his format tweak. 'The early and middle rounds rate well. So, the idea is to do more of the middle shows and less of the live shows. We'll see if it works or not. I think there might be a middle ground.'
In addition to some of the live shows, Simon will make a creative shift in encouraging contestants to perform their own original tracks more frequently throughout the competition.
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'When you've done it for 14 years you can't keep making the same show every year,' he argued. 'I think you have to realise what the contestants are in it for, why do so many people enter?
'I think if you just make the same show each year it becomes boring and predictable. So you try and make changes for the better, not everything works but some ideas we've got for the live shows are going to be good.'
He added: 'When they are good songwriters you have to encourage that, 100%, otherwise it's just karaoke. I have to be careful what I say because I have learnt through the years that whatever you do, other people copy you.
'You hope that whatever we do other people don't copy; we try not to copy what other people are doing. If we're doing original material then you're going to see it turn up on other shows. It's one of those things.'
The X Factor returns this Saturday night (September 2) and Sunday (September 3), both nights at 8pm on ITV.
(Images: ITV)
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