Simon says 'X Factor' will return to the US, and takes a pop at rivals 'The Voice' and 'Rising Star'

The X Factor stars Dermot O'Leary, Cheryl Cole, Simon Cowell, Mel B and Louis Walsh

Aoife Kelly

Simon Cowell is hoping to bring The X Factor back to the US, after the show was cancelled by Fox following its third series in February this year.

The show had failed to beat American Idol in the ratings, despite Simon initially projecting he would get 20m viewers for X Factor.  When the show only hit 12m it looked like a failure.

Speaking to the Financial Times he said, "“I stupidly said at the beginning, ‘We’re going to get 20 million people.’ I didn’t realise the market had changed so quickly and we got 12.

"So I felt from the outset that we’d failed and so did everybody else. I should have thought, ‘Actually, 12 is fantastic’, and kept my mouth shut. I think, on both sides, it was a mistake to throw the towel in. I felt I’d rather be doing a show where we’re wanted [in the UK] than pushing something uphill.”

However, Simon says he still thinks X Factor can work Stateside.

“The thing about X Factor is you know what you’re getting,” he said. “If we said, ‘There’s a low base of five to six million’, we might build on that but it won’t be less, compared to a new drama that might only be a million."

Taking a pop at rival shows 'The Voice' and 'Rising Star', he added, "There’s a reason it produces so many stars, unlike the other shows. It doesn’t rely on gimmicks: a spinning chair, or a wall going up and down. I genuinely do believe it’s the best format.” “I think it will come back again."

The failure of X Factor in the US was a double blow for Cowell, who had left American Idol in 2010 having fallen out with British producer Simon Fuller.  He went on to launch X Factor as a rival show.

However, in the UK, the show continues to go from strength to strength.  For the first time this year The X Factor pulled more viewers than its Strictly Come Dancing rival on Sunday night.

The ITV show drew an average of 8.8 million whilst the BBC's Strictly, which saw Irish conestant Jennifer Gibney eliminated from the contest, drew in 8.5 million.

Strictly held its lead on Saturday night with 400,000 more viewers than The X Factor, but the X Factor took over with 300,000 more on Sunday.