X Factor to continue 'into 2017 and beyond' despite The Voice switching to ITV

ITV says The X Factor will continue "into 2017 and beyond".

It's after speculation the show could be rested following poor ratings and The Voice switching from the BBC.

An average of 8.2 million watched last year's series, down on recent years.

An ITV spokesman said: "The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent contracts come up for renewal after the latest series air later this year, and we fully intend to continue with both shows into 2017 and beyond."

At the end of last year ITV confirmed it was taking over The Voice from 2017.

The company's director of TV, Peter Fincham, said the show would be joining the "family" alongside existing programmes like The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.

ITV bought Talpa, the Dutch production company behind The Voice, in April in a deal that could cost up to 1.1bn euros (£781m).

As well as X Factor's final seeing lower viewing figures than recent years, its youngest ever winner, Louisa Johnson, only reached number nine in the Official Singles Chart at Christmas with her Bob Dylan cover.

That was the lowest entry for any winner in the show's 12 series history.

Last month, former X Factor host Dermot O'Leary said he thought Simon Cowell should take the show off air for a year and take it back to its original format.

He said: "If I was Simon I'd take it off air for a year. I'd rest it, and then I'd get back to the rooms.

"For me it was always room, arena, boot camp."

It's unclear if Rita Ora, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Nick Grimshaw will return as judges along with Simon Cowell later this year.

X Factor has been on air each year since 2004 after taking over Pop Idol on ITV, which started in 2001.

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