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The X Factor is a British television singing competition in which aspirant singers picked from public auditions compete to discover fresh singing talent. Simon Cowell's show premiered in September 2004 and has since aired annually from August/September through December. This program is produced by FremantleMedia's Thames and Simon Cowell's SYCOtv production firm. It is televised on ITV in the United Kingdom and TV3 in Ireland, with a spin-off behind-the-scenes program called The Xtra Factor airing on ITV2. It is the creator of The X Factor franchise on a global scale. The X Factor was created as a successor for the extremely successful Pop Idol, which was put on indefinite hiatus following its second season. Cowell, who served as a judge on Pop Idol, wanted to begin a show for which he controlled the broadcast rights. Later, a legal battle arose over the perceived similarities between the two television programs. The "X Factor" in the title refers to the indefinable "something" that makes a star. Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, and Louis Walsh were the original judges. In series four, Dannii Minogue joined the panel, and after Osbourne's departure in series five, Cheryl Cole took her place. After the seventh season, both Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole left to judge the American version of the program, while Kylie Minogue left due to her commitments on Australia's Got Talent. Kelly Rowland, Tulisa Contostavlos, and Gary Barlow then joined Walsh on the judging panel for the eighth season, although Rowland declared she would not be returning for the ninth season, and was replaced by Nicole Scherzinger. In 2013, Osbourne succeeded Contostavlos upon his return. Dermot O'Leary, who replaced Kate Thornton as the show's host in 2007, has hosted the program since 2007. Following the candidates from auditions until the grand finale, the program is divided into a series of phases. During the show's initial televised audition process, candidates sang in an audition room in front of only the judges. Beginning with the sixth season, contestants perform in front of the judges and a live audience on stage. Successful auditionees advance to "bootcamp" and then to "judges' houses," where judges filter down the acts in their category to three or four artists to mentor for the live shows, during which the audience votes for their favorite acts based on weekly live performances by the competitors.