ITV, talkbackTHAMES digital and Syco, confirmed today that text voting will return to The X Factor starting this weekend.

Viewers will be able to vote by text for their favourite contestant by sending the contestant name to the short code when the vote opens on each Saturday’s live show until noon on each Sunday.  The telephone and red button vote will continue to be available until lines close on Sunday’s live results show.  All text votes will be charged at 35 pence.

The return to text voting on The X Factor, for the first time since 2007, has been enabled by a longer voting window between Saturday and Sunday’s live shows, which allows for an earlier closing time for text votes.  The move comes after extensive work by the mobile technology and services provider Mobile Interactive Group and the service provider, Harvest Media Group, ITV, talkbackTHAMES digital and Syco, to develop a new text voting platform – the plan for which has been assessed by PhonepayPlus, the UK’s regulator of premium rate services.

Ann Cook, Director of ITV Interactive said: “Texting is a hugely popular way of interacting for ITV’s viewers therefore I am delighted that we are reintroducing text voting into The X Factor this weekend alongside phone and red button voting.

“ITV and all the partners involved in the show have worked alongside the mobile network operators over the last twelve months to ensure that we have full confidence in returning this platform which will enable more consumers to vote on the UK’s most popular entertainment show.  We are enabling the audience to engage with us in a way we know they want to.”

Robert Marsh, Head of talkbackTHAMES digital said: “The reintroduction of text voting to The X Factor will increase the viewer’s interactivity with the show. We have worked closely with all partners and are fully confident that the returning service will prove popular with audiences  as they choose the UK’s next big music sensation.”

The X Factor is one of the most-watched entertainment programmes in the UK. Broadcast on ITV1, the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, The X Factor was created by Simon Cowell and is owned and co-produced by Syco TV (a joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment) and talkbackTHAMES (a FremantleMedia company). The official X Factor website, www.itv.com/xfactor, is produced by talkbackTHAMES digital with ITV and is the online home for The X Factor 2011. TalkTalk is the broadcast sponsor of The X Factor and lead sponsor of the live finals at Wembley Arena.

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 Notes to Editors:

• Mobile users can vote by text by sending the promoted contestant name to the short code.
• Voting opens on Saturday. Text voting closes Sunday at noon. The reason for an early close time for text voting is to allow for any possible delays on the mobile networks. Viewers wishing to vote after 12pm on Sunday can do so by phone or red button as these platforms close as announced in the Sunday results show.
• Text voting costs 35p per vote.  The text message sent by the viewer to vote will be charged at 35p and will be deducted from the credit on the phone or will appear on the monthly bill depending on mobile contract. The vote confirmation message is sent free of charge.
• Viewers who try to vote by text outside of the vote window will still be charged 35p as this is how the mobile billing system is set up. All profits from votes received outside of the vote open period will be donated to charity.
• Full terms and conditions and details of phone and red button voting are available at www.itv.com/terms