This past weekend's finale of the current season of The X Factor UK airs tonight on AXS TV -- and an x-tra attraction is guest appearances from Coldplay (recently tapped to perform during halftime of Super Bowl 50), One Direction and top-selling singer Adele (whose NBC special also airs tonight).
AXS TV, founded by Mark Cuban, is completing the second of a three-season deal to re-air the FremantleMedia hit 24 hours after episodes air on ITV in the United Kingdom. Here, that means Sunday and Monday night in primetime.
AXS TV officials say audience has been building this season for the talent-competition import, which features Simon Cowell and Rita Ora among the judges. Its AXS TV run so far peaked with an Oct. 25 telecast this season filmed at Cowell's home in the South of France and featuring Louis Tomlinson of One Direction, the network said, drawing 370,000 average viewers over seven days of live and recorded viewing. It's the network's top-rated show for two seasons running.
The show generated some 39 hours of primetime content and "it’s just continued to dominate our ratings," Michele M. Dix, senior vice president, programming and development, said today. "We’ve seen great connection socially," using the #UKintheUSA hashtag, she added. AXS TV upped the ante this season by adding the companion show The Xtra Factor.
As for numbers, network officials said the total audience this season is approximately 300,000 viewers on average on a live plus seven day basis, citing Rentrak Essentials data. The show has seen a gain of nearly 15%, again on an L7 basis, among the 18- to 24-year-old demographic. And it has been viewed by nearly 10 million unique households in its 44-million-household base this season, officials said.
For AXS TV, she said, "it's just been a tremendous win."
The season finale airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. Central (5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on West Coast).
