The X Factor's most famous catchphrases have reportedly been trademarked as the singing contest prepares for a comeback, according to reports.
Several sayings associated with Simon Cowell, including his one-liner “I didn’t like it, I loved it”, are said to have been put forward for trademarking. The reboot is claimed to have been in development for almost a year, with those involved sworn to secrecy, and the show is expected to return in a “whole new arena”.
Why phrases are being trademarked
Due to the intensity of social media and viral clips, a source claimed bosses are acting to secure their most popular phrases. “Trademarking key phrases is part of that — and Simon’s known for his critiques,” a source said about the new business model.
The source told The Sun: “Bosses lodged, ‘It’s a yes from me’, ‘It’s a no from me’ and ‘I didn’t like it, I loved it’ in December.”
Judges and format speculation
It remains unclear which judges will be called upon for the reboot. Previous judges have included Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh, with hosts including Dermot O’Leary. Simon is thought to be making a comeback in some capacity.
A source told the publication: “They can explore a younger, fresher panel, with new faces and have Cowell behind the scenes. The plan is for the show’s return to take on a new life and be updated to envelop social media generation.”
History and decline
The long-running singing competition originally aired from 2004 until 2019. It launched a number of unknown acts into the international spotlight while boosting the profiles of its judges. At its peak, The X Factor pulled in audiences just shy of 20 million viewers.
By 2019, interest had waned, and the show was axed following a celebrity version that struggled to attract more than three million viewers.
Speaking about the potential return previously, Simon told the Tales from the Celebrity Trenches podcast: “Yeah, we talk about it a lot. Do you bring it back as X Factor or do you bring it back as the Z Factor?
“There’s still no question, the power of TV in terms of getting people to know an artist. It’s so important if you’re not writing your own material. The truth is there’s something about being on a big screen. You hear about these artists who break online, but so rarely.
“Truth is, I guess, thank God, people like being on TV.”
