‘The X Factor’ UK final: Ben Haenow’s win attracts lowest viewing figures in ten years

Well, we now know officially that it is not just America who is suffering from a little bit of singing-show fatigue: Our friends across the pond in the United Kingdom are feeling the same thing.

Overall, a total of 9.1 million viewers caught the big finale of “The X Factor” UK last night, which was won by Ben Haenow after more than two months of live shows. This is an impressive figure given the share of the British public who watched; if America had this sort of share for any show, it would be setting records! However, this is still the least-watched final episode of the series since the very first season a decade ago.

Is there a way for the show to really turn things around and attract more viewers to the table? It is ultimately something that is a little easier said than done. The biggest problem we feel the show has is just that the talent pool in Britain is limited, and you are having a new show every year. That is not a whole lot of time for new, great artists to turn up, especially when you also have “The Voice” UK and “Britain’s Got Talent” out there also getting vocalists to appear. There is only so much quality, and while there were good acts this year, none had that perfect combination of talent, stage presence, and personality to capture casual fans’ attention.

Also, viewers are craving something different, and not a regurgitated version of the same show that they watched years ago. We’d recommend some format tweaks here and there, or maybe a new way to incorporate voting or get the public involved.

Anyway, the show is coming back next year, so it will have a further chance to figure things out then.

If you head over here right now, you can see how some of the individual votes turned out this season. Also, sign up to get some further TV updates worth singing about sent right to your email inbox. (Photo: ITV.)