‘The X Factor’ UK premiere ratings rise with Cheryl Cole, Simon Cowell on board

Great news coming out now for all who enjoy “The X Factor” UK: The ratings are up for the premiere compared to the past two years of the show.

For the return of Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole as judges, the ITV series drew an average of 9.5 million viewers, and even peaked at one point with 10.6 million viewers. This is an impressive start to the season, and maybe at least some proof that Simon does sell much better in the United Kingdom than he does in America.

However, we would also caution you to be wary of some of these figures right now thanks to one simple thing: Hype. The show had publicity this year thanks to the judges’ big return to the series, so of course there would be more interest in the premiere. Unless there is a greater collection of talent in the actual performance shows, though, we do not actually expect there to be any sort of consistency at this level in the coming weeks. Given viewer fatigue of the singing-show genre, we certainly expect this figure to level off around the numbers of last year.

Plus, there is one other thing to consider here: The biggest rival for Simon and company in “Strictly Come Dancing” has yet to even officially premiere. This series will be on BBC One in the weeks ahead, and the show, which inspired “Dancing with the Stars” in America, routinely beat “The X Factor” in the figures last year.

Love the series? Then be sure to come back later, as we’ll have a full review of the latest recount of events from the auditions. You can head over here in the event that you did miss our review of the big premiere, or sign up today to get some further news worth singing about right now via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: ITV