ITV To Offer Interactive Betting On X Factor
Viewers of ITV’s latest televised talent contest, X Factor, are to be offered interactive betting services following a deal between TV production giant Fremantle and bookmaker Blue Square.
The deal marks the first time that Fremantle has provided betting services for any of its shows in Britain, although the venture could prove popular as X Factor, the brainchild of Pop Idol mastermind Simon Cowell, looks set to become one of ITV’s most successful shows.
Viewers watching the series via digital TV will be able to place bets and play interactive games over its mammoth 15 week run. A sponsorship deal between the series and mobile phone giant Nokia will also enable fans to vote for contestants, receive text updates, download related ringtones and play branded games. Die-hard followers will also be able to purchase X Factor branded Nokia mobile phones (see ITV Secures Nokia To Sponsor X Factor Reality Show).
Commenting on the deal, Simon Lloyd, head of marketing for Nokia Mobile Phones, said: “This high profile broadcast sponsorship represents a new direction for Nokia and we’re really excited to be associated with one of the flagship shows of ITV’s autumn season.”
X Factor begins tomorrow, following Cowell and celebrity judges Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh as they search for the nation’s next singing sensation. Each judge will adopt a group of wannabe pop-stars and will put their reputation on the line to get them to the final.
The series has reportedly cost £10 million to produce, a figure which ITV will be hoping to recoup through the creation of the same public hysteria which has surrounded the Pop Idol franchise. The final of the last series drew a peak of more than 12 million viewers as Michelle McManus, a size twenty former events manager from Glasgow, romped home to victory. However, the figures were almost 2 million down on the audience that watched Will Young beat Gareth Gates in the previous series’ final (see Pop Idol Final Proves Bigger Is Better For ITV).
X Factor is the first programme to emerge from ITV’s exclusive signing of Cowell earlier this year. The TV and music mogul is understood to be working on several properties for the broadcaster, and will work solely for ITV after signing up for a two year stint in April (see ITV Signs Simon Cowell For Two Years).
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com
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