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With the long awaited debut of “X Factor” coming to Fox this fall, gamblers will have a new entertainment competition in which to wager on. Already in Great Britain, “X Factor” is a hit amongst punters across the nation.
Fox executives will be taking a big gamble of their own on the new program as they expect it to match numbers similar to American Idol. The flagship franchise Idol saw its audience grow 3 percent this season with 24 million weekly viewers.
"We feel we have the gold standard in both "Idol" and "X Factor," said Fox Networks Group Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice. "In Simon Cowell we have the absolute star of the genre."
"If we can capture even a fraction of that audience, we'll have the biggest show on television," added Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly.
“X Factor” will reunite former Idol judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul and will be broadcast Wednesday and Thursday nights. The show will air during the portion of the year when American Idol is on hiatus.
It was just last month that the UK version found itself embroiled in a betting scandal whereby three Virgin Media employees have been caught using inside information to place more than £16,000 in bets on the hit TV talent show The X Factor.
- Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com
