How Two Of The Most Popular Programs In The UK Divide Opinions

In 2011 we have once again seen a fierce battle between the X Factor (on ITV1) and Strictly Come Dancing (on BBC1). These are two of the most watched programs in Britain (not including the soaps) and one of the TV highlights of the year as they get huge viewing figures. So with many families being divided about which one they should watch on Saturday nights, and with an ongoing rivalry that has been going on for many years now, it is worth taking a closer look at this rivalry. There are quite a few reasons why the rivalry is so fierce between BBC and ITV. One of the main ones is that these two corporations have been battling it out for years. Now that they have two of the most popular TV shows between them, they obviously want theirs to be considered the best, and get more viewing figures than the other. Both the shows go out at roughly the same time on Saturday night, although they sometimes go out at separate times. However they still want to win the ratings battle and attract more viewers than the other. To win this battle the program makers have used a little artistic licence to get more press attention and subsequently attract more viewers. The X Factor in particular seem to be very good at this, and always manage to get stories in the press. One thing they have done this series is to start having more arguments between the judges. Some sceptics think these arguments are all planned in advance in order to inject a bit of controversy into the show, and I'm inclined to agree that these arguments aren't completely genuine. However it doesn't really matter because it is basically just a light entertainment show at the end of the day. Similarly with Strictly Come Dancing, it doesn't really matter who wins or who gets voted out as it's all just harmless fun. This time around it has been Strictly Come Dancing that has come out on top in terms of overall viewing figures, which doesn't happen very often. However this is hardly surprising because this series of the X Factor has arguably been the worst yet. It is badly missing the presence of Simon Cowell because Gary Barlow is nowhere near as charismatic. I even think that the show misses Cheryl Cole, even though I wasn't her biggest fan. When you factor in all this, plus the fact that many of the contestants are instantly forgettable, I can see why Strictly Come Dancing is winning the battle. This show just goes from strength to strength. It seems to be able to attract some big name celebrities these days. Plus with bigger and better shows, including the recent show at Wembley Arena, it is attracting big viewing figures. Of course there are still divides in a lot of families because it tends to be older viewers that prefer Strictly, whilst the younger viewers prefer the trendier X Factor. However with modern technology, I don't think people fight over the remote like they used to because they can now watch shows on a variety of different devices. The main point I want to make is that the rivalry between the two shows continues to grow and grow. It is nice to see Strictly Come Dancing overtake the X Factor and the overconfident Simon Cowell, who's behind the show. However I'm sure there will be a big revamp of the show next year and I wouldn't be surprised to see the X Factor back in front once more, possibly with Cowell back on the judging panel.