Simon Cowell has high hopes that The X Factor will make its 20th anniversary series.
Despite the fact that ratings have softened from The X Factor's early years as a pop culture juggernaut, the reality competition continues to receive the backing of ITV as the centrepieceof its autumn schedule.
As The X Factor kicks off its 14th series this weekend, there's naturally going to be talk about how much gas it has left — but, at least according to Simon, a big format overhaul has extended the life of the show.
'If you'd asked me years ago how many more years I could do, I would have said if we can get to five more years then we've done well,' he admitted. 'Then you get to five years and it becomes ten.
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'What I have noticed over the last two years, which is a good sign, is that I'm seeing younger and younger kids turn up to the show. That's always the fear, that, like a lot of music shows, you don't stay relevant. That's why outside of the show, what I do with my label, is still important because I couldn't sit on this panel if my label wasn't having success outside of the show. I just couldn't do it.
'So as long as you're having hits, and in the label we're finding artists, there's no feeling like it. So, that's a long-winded way of saying yes, I do think it'll last a little bit longer than I thought.'
Simon is also looking ahead to his own future, explaining that his number-one goal for the next five years is simply to keep finding the next wave of popstars.
'Number one, you have to stay happy. Number two, relevant,' he said. 'If you achieve those two things and success then you're in a good place because this business is tough.
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'If I ever lost my taste, or the ability to spot an artist or a hit record, then I would stop really quickly. I wouldn't try and hang on. But because I am still, almost obsessed with the idea of signing new talent, finding new talent, and I still enjoy it as much as I used to, then I hope to still be doing this in five or ten years' time.
'Once you cross that middle line, if you're still successful, you can use your experience to hopefully find the next person who is going to do my job. That is as fulfilling as finding an artist. You know, someone who starts off as an intern and ten years later is running your record label – that's as valuable as finding an artist. I'd get a real kick out of that."
The X Factor returns this Saturday (September 2) and Sunday (September 3), both nights at 8pm on ITV.
Images: ITV. From: Digital Spy
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