The X Factor is a British television music competition to locate new singing talent, contested by aspiring musicians drawn from auditions. The show started in September 2004 and has since aired from August/September through to December. The show is made by the Thames and Cowell's production company SYCOtv of FremantleMedia. It is broadcast on the ITV system in the United Kingdom and TV3 in Ireland. It is the originator of this The x-factor franchise. The X Factor has been invented as a replacement for the exceptionally powerful Pop Idol, which was put on indefinite hiatus as a result of its next show, chiefly because Cowell, who was a judge on Pop Idol, wanted to launch a new show to which he owned the television rights. The perceived similarity between both shows later became the subject of a valid dispute. The"X Factor" of the title refers to this undefinable"something" that produces for star caliber. The first estimating panel was first Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. The board was combined by dannii Minogue in series 4, and Osbourne was substituted by Cheryl Cole in series 5 after her departure. After show 7, Cole and Cowell left to judge that the American version of the show whilst Minogue left the show due to obligations on the Got Talent of Australia. Kelly Rowland, Tulisa Contostavlos and Gary Barlow then united Walsh though Rowland announced she would not return for series 9 and was substituted by Nicole Scherzinger. Osbourne later came back in 2013, replacing Contostavlos. As 2007, Dermot O'Leary, who substituted original host Kate Thornton has presented the show. The show is split into a series of stages, subsequent to a contestants from auditions through to the grand finale. In the show's televised audition stage, contestants sang facing of the judges within a living room. From show 6 championships, auditionees sing onto a stage before the judges and a live audience. Successful auditionees go through to"bootcamp" and then to"judges' houses", where judges narrow down the actions within their category down to three or four actions to mentor to get the live shows, where the public vote for their favourite actions following weekly live performances by the contestants.