X-Factor

Background• The X Factor is a show which allows people to

show their singing talents in order to win a record deal and become star’s.

• X Factor was aired in 2004 on ITV.• X Factor is a current show which has regular

series every year. It’s aired every Saturday night at 8pm. They also have spin-off’s from each series known as the Xtra Factor which consists of background scenes from the episodes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd-HiVDuRIc

Institution • X Factor is produced by Simon Cowells production company,

Sycho.• As X Factor is shown on ITV most of their funding comes

through advertising, voting., the X Factor tour and record sales.

• The purpose of X-Factor is that it gives new talent a platform to express their talents in a way that wouldn’t have been able to do before. They also give a week of free publicity to the winner which increases their record sales.

• X-Factor is a very mainstream show as it appeals to everyone in the family. Due to allowing a ages fourteen and over to be candidates it draws everyone's interest into it. It’s a show that the whole family can watch together.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jameshall/100001663/how-the-x-factor-has-changed-the-music-business-for-ever/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Factor_(TV_series)

Audience Profiles…

X- Factor is aimed at people aged form 6-70 years old. This is evident as the show caters for all ages. By allowing all ages to enter the competition

it appeals to all ages. They audiences are mainly working class people ad have interests such

as singing and dancing. It appeals to both male and females as the judges in the show are both male and female. The show is very

mainstream which is why the audience is so varied. The working class factor is essential as it gives struggling talent a great platform to perform

on. Also stories from struggling artist also appeal to the working class audiences as they may have had to face them to. Allowing them to

connect with the candidates

Production• The production of the show has been enhanced by

Web 2.0 extremely. The production consists of a wide range of technology that wouldn’t have been available without 2.0.

• In terms of the production Web 2.0 has helped thoroughly in creating the stage. Also a lot of the show is based on voting which can be done online. By creating a website with the help of Web 2.0 allows viewers to vote online and also see other information such as missed episodes. Also in terms of the production in the spin off episode the Xtra Factor a lot of Web 2.0 has been used whilst interviewing back stage and also when the audience are giving feedback. For example interviews are always taking place of either successful or unsuccessful participants . An example of this is last years winner Joe McElderry

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQj7Hu34t1k

Distribution/ Exhibition• The audience mainly experience the text through TV but

they may also view texts online on the website http://xfactor.itv.com/2009/ through looking at images and video’s. Also in terms of advertisement they have created a lot of merchandise which is available for the audience to buy such as mugs, t shirts etc. This increases the recognition of the show thoroughly.

• In terms of watching the show on TV the audience do not have much control, however channels such as ITV 2 and ITV3 repeat missed episodes which allow the audience to watch it again. Although they may not have a lot control over viewing the show they have a lot of control over the content. Due to eliminations being decided by the audience it give them a lot of control over what happens in terms of who stays and who goes. The audience have the final say.

360 Degree Saturation

• X Factor is practically available on all platforms. In terms of music they have produced albums and singles of the winning X Factor Singer.

They can also experience X Factor through merchandise such as mug’s, posters, dolls.

X Factor is also available online. You can view images, interviews and videos http://xfactor.itv.com/2009/

The Red Button, get interactive whilst watching TV!

3.0 The Future...

I think the future of this show will be that they will expand their audience further by maybe going international and having auditions world wide. They may use web 3.0 in terms of making the show be live worldwide and create technology which allows the audience to all vote at the same time world wide. They also may allow the audiences to choose who should go in whilst auditioning therefore making the audience more interactive and giving them more power. Web 2.0 could help this by including technologies such as voting polls within the audience.

 David Gauntlett- Media 2.0

• X Factor follows the Web 2.0 theory very well as most of the shows production is based upon the new technology used. Instead of making it a one way thing, the show has become a two way thing as it allows the audience to interact with the show was well as watch it. With the new technology devices given the audience are able to become a part of the show and its concept.

Blumer and Katz -Uses and Gratifications

• Uses and Gratifications approach is suggested to be originally stemmed from a functionalist paradigm. It suggests that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media. It also suggests that users take an active part in the communication process. This applies to X Factor very well as both the media users (the judges) and both the audience play a big role in the competition. Due to the voting system it allows people to choose who they want to see by voting in through text messages, phone calls and online voting. Also the new technology also allows them to choose what they want to watch on the website and what images they want to see to suit there interest/mood. X Factor satisfies all four of the uses and gratifications. In terms of Utility, the candidates are able to use this platform to communicate to a wider audience in order to help their singing career through performing in front of them and essentially influencing them to buy their future songs. In terms of Intentionality its the participants motivation and drive to sing which draws the audiences in to watch the show. In terms of Selectivity majority of the behaviour is reflected around singing and talent which is why the audience watch it as this is what they prefer in terms of entertainment. Lastly as for Imperviousness, X Factor have successfully pulled in audiences which wouldn’t have been interested in singing. This is due to their mainstream advertising which draws the audiences in. Also the concept attracts a family audience which is why many of the audiences get influenced to watch it without knowing they have been drawn in and influenced.

Chris Anderson – Long Tail Theory

• The long theory mainly focuses on catering for niche audiences. Instead of having one mainstream product, audiences can enjoy a variety of nice productions creating the phrase “less of more”. However X Factor does not really fit into this theory as it is a more mainstream show rather then niche. As it appeals more to a bigger audience they will benefit more if people are consuming their shows concept rather then other niche shows. Therefore they follow the more traditional “more of less” view.

Don Tapscott -Wikinomics• It is a mass collaboration of individuals to co-operate and

solve problems. It is driven by reward, but is not always met. It allows co-operations to be organized in an un-hierrachical way, it breaks the chain of authority. This theory fits into X Factor well as the audience can make changes which thereby defeats the hierarchy. By allowing them to make changes they are able to contribute to the results and future of the show. All individuals are counted to be just as important as all their votes count. Although the judges have authority at first it in terms of the auditions it however changes as the audience become more interactive through voting. The audience have more authority when it comes to choosing the semi finalists and the finalists, which also makes them feel more important within the show.

David Morley – The Reception Theory

The Reception Theory consists of how a certain text is perceived by the audience, and how other factors such as personal backgrounds can influence their views. X Factor fits in well with the Negotiated Reading which is a compromise between the dominant and opposition readings, where the audience accepts parts of the director's views, but has their own views on parts as well. This is evident in X Factor for example if the audience like a singer but a judge does not. The judges may not tell them through into the other round even though the audiences want them to. The audience have too compromise by allowing the singer to be booted out. However further in the show the judges may like someone but the audiences may dislike them and vote them out. Although the judges do not agree with the verdict they have to compromise and let the singer go. This could sometimes be a problem as sometimes the audience may choose the bad singers due to seeing them as a source of entertainment, which is also why a lot of people vote and watch the show,

Issues• X Factor may have issues about copyright as

most of their videos of the show are available on YouTube therefore the audience may not want to purchase box sets of the episodes or simply watch it on TV. Also many of the songs sang by the winners are posted onto YouTube once again allowing people to breach the copyright and listen to the songs for free.

• In terms of the concept and creativity, other production companies may copy the concept of the show and may even make it more interesting. However this could be seen as hypocritical of Simon Cowell as he did use the concept of Pop Idol and ideas from American Idol in order to form the X-Factor.