Cowell could take shows to Netflix

SIMON COWELL has stunned ITV bosses by revealing he is in talks with Netflix and Amazon over a lucrative new deal to screen his shows.

The music mogul has aired his music and talent shows on ITV since 2004, becoming a cornerstone of the network’s light-entertainment schedule.

Viewing figures for The X Factor fell to an all-time low of 3.7 million during last year’s series.

Cowell, pictured, has been considering deals with other broadcasters for some time over a wide range of his shows. Sources at ITV said senior staff were taken by surprise when they learned that he was considering a deal to work with other broadcasters. One said: ‘We hope he will be signing a new deal with ITV for the foreseeable future.’ Cowell told The Mail on Sunday that he was in talks with some of the biggest names in global entertainment. ‘We are having conversations with Netflix and Amazon and YouTube – all of them,’ he said. ‘It was 2000 when we started making these shows, and now there are many, many more opportunities, so we are going to be working with them.

‘We get four or five calls a year from other broadcasters saying, “do you want to do a deal for one show, two shows, three shows, whatever?”’

It is understood ITV is keen for Cowell to stay on board, and a big-money deal it offered him to stay with the network until 2022 is still on the table.

Cowell, 59, has said he wants to scrap the traditional X Factor format and instead feature celebrities.

An industry source said last night: ‘There are no plans to move either Britain’s Got Talent or The X Factor to Netflix.’