The X Factor (New Zealand TV series)

Did You Know?

• The first series was co-produced by MediaWorks and FremantleMedia Australia, with Ford New Zealand as broadcast sponsor.
• For the first series' judges retreats, Daniel Bedingfield was assisted by his sister Natasha Bedingfield in Rarotonga, and Ruby Frost was assisted by X Factor Australia judge Guy Sebastian in Sydney.
• The judging panel for the first season consisted of Melanie Blatt, Stan Walker, Ruby Frost, and Daniel Bedingfield.

Season 2 (2015)

A second season was not included in TV3's 2014 line-up, but in August 2014 the network confirmed production, which began in November 2014 for a 2015 broadcast. NZ On Air contributed $800,000 in minority funding. McDonald's was the broadcast sponsor, with Mazda, Fruttare, 2degrees and VO5 as programme partners. The judging panel originally consisted of returning judges Melanie Blatt and Stan Walker, joined by married duo Natalia Kills (later known as Teddy Sinclair) and Willy Moon. Dominic Bowden returned as host. Judges' retreats were held internationally with celebrity assistants: Blatt was assisted by Nicole Appleton in Pattaya; Walker by Ginny Blackmore in Bangkok; Moon by Jason Kerrison in Karaka; and Kills by former contestant Benny Tipene in Titirangi. On 15 March 2015, during the first live episode, Kills and Moon verbally attacked contestant Joe Irvine from the Over 25s category. The next day, before that day's episode aired, both judges were fired. That night's episode featured only Walker and Blatt. They were replaced by X Factor Australia judge Natalie Bassingthwaighte and New Zealand drummer Shelton Woolwright. The series was won by Bassingthwaighte's contestant Beau Monga, with Nyssa Collins second and Brendon Thomas and the Vibes third.

Selection process

The competition has five stages. Stage 1 consists of pre-auditions before producers, held in towns and cities across New Zealand, to decide who will sing in front of the judges. Stage 2 is the judges' auditions in Auckland before a live studio audience. Stage 3 is bootcamp, which in the second series included a live audience and a six-chair challenge to select contestants for the judges' retreats. Stage 4 is the judges' retreats, where contestants are divided into four categories—Boys, Girls, Over-25s and Groups—and each category is assigned a judge as mentor. Each judge selects three contestants to form the final 12 for the live shows. (In the first series, a public wildcard vote added one more contestant, making a final 13.) Stage 5 consists of two weekly live shows: a performance show and a results show where one act is eliminated by public vote. Each act performs one song (two in the semi-final and grand final) over a pre-recorded backing track, often with backup dancers and props. Acts may accompany themselves on guitar or piano. Each week has a different theme for song selection. After performances, judges comment, and heated disagreements are common.

Reception

The first series averaged 485,000 viewers, a high number for TV3, with strong online engagement: over 120,000 Facebook fans, up to 70,000 active discussants, and every episode trending on Twitter, sometimes internationally. The show's website recorded over 6.3 million page impressions, 886,000 full-episode streams, and 844,000 individual song streams. The grand final decider drew a cumulative audience of 1,326,000, with 553,976 votes cast. Overall, 3,285,500 New Zealanders (79.7% of the population) watched the first series at some point. The second series saw a significant ratings drop: the premiere averaged 343,280 viewers, down 26% from the first series' premiere of 467,000, though viewership increased by 10% by the end of the first week. The grand final decider averaged 359,910 viewers, down 39% from the first series' final. The second series overall averaged 328,000 viewers, an 18% decline. During the first live show of the second series, judges Natalia Kills and Willy Moon verbally attacked contestant Joe Irvine, drawing audible backlash from the audience and fellow judge Melanie Blatt, who later called Kills "a twat" on social media. MediaWorks received complaints from viewers and major sponsors McDonald's and 2degrees. Both judges were immediately removed; the results night aired with only Walker and Blatt on the panel.

The Xtra Factor

The Xtra Factor was a live post-show for the second New Zealand season of The X Factor, taking the form of a sports-style analysis program. Filmed beside the main stage at Vector Arena, it was hosted by Guy Williams, Sharyn Casey, and Clint Roberts. If the main show ran long, Four would simply continue broadcasting the TV3 feed until it ended. The program aired on Four, a sister channel to TV3, on Sundays and Mondays, with encore presentations on The Edge TV the following Monday and Tuesday at 7 pm. This show took the place of the Samsung Insider video blog, which had covered the first season behind the scenes. Its debut on 15 March 2015 came right before the first live performance episode, and the final episode aired on 18 May 2015, just ahead of the finale’s results. During that last broadcast, winner Beau Monga was given his car as part of his prize package. On 25 May 2015, the same three presenters hosted a one-hour special called The X Factor All Access, which aired in the Monday time slot previously used by The X Factor on TV3. That special included behind-the-scenes clips and the hosts’ personal highlights from the second season.