After more than a decade of talent shows taking over our TV schedules has the time now come to axe these types of programmes?
When talent contests first burst on to our TV screens more than ten years ago we were left wanting more and more, viewers it seemed couldn’t get enough of the famous judges, emerging talent and the wacky audition process. But fast forward to 2016 and it seems fans are now getting bored of the rather tired formats.
X Factor has seen dwindling viewing figures, The Voice rarely gets over 6 million viewers and Britain’s Got Talent has gotten stale. And now the numbers of successful graduates from these shows is getting less and less.
Yes, these programmes have given us some our most loved entertainers and we are thankful that they were given a huge platform to showcase their talents, but with the rise of social media and YouTube the question has to be asked; do people really need to enter these shows to get noticed now?
When TV talent contests were first put on our screens there were no proper outlets for rising talent hence the reason people applied to be on the shows, but now anyone anywhere can build up a fan-base through social media and YouTube making it easier for A&R to find and sign new talent.
Look at Justin Bieber, he was found through YouTube and he is now one of most successful artists in the world.
Talent shows used to work, we used to find new talent, and support peoples dreams. But now it seems a lot of the people entering are not looking to make a success of themselves but are more interested in just becoming famous.
Maybe these types of programmes should take a break and allow new talent to be found and nurtured the old fashioned way. Promote the artist and support them, allow them time to become a lasting success.
Should TV talent shows be axed? Should auditions be held behind closed doors in the future without cameras? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix.