I don't follow the format much, but I thought one of the reasons that X Factor is bigger than Idol abroad is because it supplanted Idol abroad?
Also, I really don't think X Factor's format is all that great, or even all that entertaining. Maybe it was at one time, but by now the format has been run through so many focus groups that everything feels put-on and nothing feels genuine or organic. That's boring, especially when it's as half-assed as it often is on X Factor. So often the only thing I find entertaining on X Factor is all the shit that's NOT supposed to happen. But you can't count on that, and that doesn't make the show genuinely entertaining, at least to me. There were so many times where Khloesus' ICONIC hosting (read: so bad it's good) and seeing Britney fail utterly were the only things keeping me coming back. And with the importance of quality talent being so undercut, whenever the format breaks you can't even rely on entertaining performances.
I said it at the end of last season and it still holds true: X Factor could use some polish, more out-of-the-box thinking, and a better producer. Also, get rid of assigning judges act types.
Oh, and stanning for Xtina aside, I think The Voice has consistently had the better group of contestants overall. Sometimes they may lack SUPERSTARS, but more often than not the contestants that make it far are at least COMPETENT, which is way more than X Factor or last season's Idol can say. So even when the format starts to become a little boring, you can at least rely on good performances to keep you interested.
