Cable network AXS TV will broadcast the upcoming 11th season of the U.K. version of The X Factor in the U.S.
The deal between AXS TV and producers Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia brings the British music competition to the U.S. for the first time. The series will premiere Aug. 31, with new episodes broadcast on Sundays and Mondays.
Fox canceled the U.S. version of The X Factor Feb. 7. The third and final season averaged a 1.7 Nielsen live-plus-same day rating among adults 18-49, down 41% from the previous season. Series creator Simon Cowell announced that same day that he would return to the franchise’s original U.K. series as a judge.
“The X Factor UK is a perfect addition to the AXS TV lineup, as we continue to showcase the best music programming on television,” AXS TV CEO Mark Cuban said. “The level of talent that the series has produced is unprecedented, and to have Simon Cowell back as a judge—I’m confident that our audience will embrace these new stars wholeheartedly.”
The U.S. version of The X Factor failed to live up to expectations from the time it launched in 2011, averaging a 3.7 in its first season. Former Fox Broadcasting entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly presaged the series’ cancelation in January at the TCA winter press tour. “The show underperformed this year,” Reilly said. “Simon himself would admit that.”
