Simon Cowell has thrown the future of the X Factor into chaos after admitting he is stalling on a new megabucks deal with ITV.
The music mogul hinted yesterday that unless the channel pays more money he may take his hit series elsewhere in 2010.

Itv pays Cowell’s production company Syco £1.7million for each studio show – but he is said to be after around £2million per programme for next year. He revealed: “Part of the reason the show has been so successful is ITV invested loads of money to make it better.
“The issue now is not about salaries for people on the show, it is about getting more money to invest in production.
Simon is still negotiating his own £7.5million salary with ITV.

He has got Topshop billionaire Philip Green, 57, to thrash out a deal. But he has already agreed to judge Britain’s Got Talent next year.

Simon wants to see his fellow judge Cheryl Cole, 26, return if X Factor is back next year – but admits they will need to offer her more than her current £1.2million salary.

The pop star last night said she will take a few months to think about next year.

SALES of TVs have shot up ahead of this weekend’s X Factor final, say John Lewis. The chain has sold one every 15 seconds in the past week as people also clamour for bigger sets to see the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final. A spokesman said: “Customers are upsizing in time for those all important finals of X Factor and Strictly.”

Cowell also hit out at an online campaign to stop the show’s winner from getting the Christmas No1. Olly Murs, Stacey Solomon and Joe McElderry will battle it out on Saturday’s final to record a cover of Miley Cyrus’s ballad The Climb. But a group set up on Facebook is calling on people to make rock band Rage Against The Machine’s 1992 anthem Killing In The Name this year’s festive chart-topper – and it now has 548,000 members.


Cowell said: “It’s quite a cynical campaign geared at me which is going to spoil the party for the three finalists.”
He also risked stressing the contestants out, saying: “I won’t make any commitment to anyone other than the winner. Particularly this year, it is more important to win than any other year.