Britain's ITV Says 'No Current Plans' for Another 'X Factor' Series

FILE PHOTO: Television mogul Simon Cowell poses for photographers as he arrives for the film "One Direction: This is Us", in London August 20, 2013. REUTERS/Neil Hall
FILE PHOTO: Television mogul Simon Cowell poses for photographers as he arrives for the film "One Direction: This is Us", in London August 20, 2013. REUTERS/Neil Hall
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Britain's ITV Says 'No Current Plans' for Another 'X Factor' Series

FILE PHOTO: Television mogul Simon Cowell poses for photographers as he arrives for the film "One Direction: This is Us", in London August 20, 2013. REUTERS/Neil Hall
FILE PHOTO: Television mogul Simon Cowell poses for photographers as he arrives for the film "One Direction: This is Us", in London August 20, 2013. REUTERS/Neil Hall

British broadcaster ITV said it has “no current plans” for another series of music talent show “The X Factor”.

The singing competition, created by British music mogul and television personality Simon Cowell, debuted on UK screens in 2004 and kick-started the careers of chart toppers such as Leona Lewis, One Direction and Little Mix.

Its last series aired in 2018 before going on hiatus.

“There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage,” an ITV spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

Once hugely popular, the UK show has seen ratings fall over the years.

Newspaper The Sun reported late on Wednesday Cowell was axing the series “for at least five years”.

The show, in which aspiring singers aim to win a recording contract and are mentored by celebrity judges, has been exported around the world and has had various spin-offs, including a celebrity version in 2019.



Fans Swarm Hill in Munich, Claiming a High Perch for Watching Taylor Swift Concert for Free 

Thousands of Swift fans gather near concert venue to listen to her performance at the Olympiaberg in the Olympiapark in Munich, Germany, July 28, 2024. (Reuters)
Thousands of Swift fans gather near concert venue to listen to her performance at the Olympiaberg in the Olympiapark in Munich, Germany, July 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fans Swarm Hill in Munich, Claiming a High Perch for Watching Taylor Swift Concert for Free 

Thousands of Swift fans gather near concert venue to listen to her performance at the Olympiaberg in the Olympiapark in Munich, Germany, July 28, 2024. (Reuters)
Thousands of Swift fans gather near concert venue to listen to her performance at the Olympiaberg in the Olympiapark in Munich, Germany, July 28, 2024. (Reuters)

Thousands of Taylor Swift fans have gotten free seats to her concerts in Munich on a grassy hill near the concert venue.

The Swifties packed the Olympic Hill, or Olympiaberg, one of the highest elevations in the southern German city, for the second straight day Sunday. That gave them a high perch for watching the singer’s sold-out concert in the nearby Olympic Stadium.

On Saturday, they braved the heat, which reached 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) and claimed their spots hours before the concert began.

Police estimated that about 25,000 gathered on the hill on Saturday, according to the dpa news agency.

On Sunday, fans returned, once again packing the grassy hill with so many people that from a distance the scene looked like an anthill.

Rather than discourage the free viewings, the concert organizer handed out water and emergency blankets to those waiting to protect themselves from the sun, dpa reported.

Sunday’s concert is Swift’s last in Germany as part of her Eras tour. She heads next to the Polish capital, Warsaw, for three concerts this coming week, from Thursday through Saturday.