ITV says 'no comment' on claims it has bought The Voice UK
ITV has said it will not comment on speculation it has bought The Voice UK, after the BBC revealed it had lost the singing show to a rival broadcaster.
The BBC said on Saturday that the fifth series, which begins in January, would be the last broadcast on BBC One. Mark Linsey, acting director of BBC Television, said in a statement that it "wouldn't get into a bidding war or pay inflated prices to keep the show". He said the format, which began as a Dutch talent show, had been "poached". Current speculation over the UK version's future includes suggestions in The Guardian and other publications that ITV could ditch The X Factor to make room for it in the schedule, after the recent X Factor revamp failed to halt falling audience figures There are also suggestions Sky could purchase The X Factor if ITV did decide to drop it. ITV said it would not comment on the BBC's statement on the future of The Voice UK. An spokesperson confirmed the X Factor has one year left in its current contract with the broadcaster after this current series. The broadcaster signed a three-year deal with Simon Cowell's company Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia UK in 2013 to continue broadcasting both the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent until the end of 2016. Announcing The Voice was leaving the BBC, Mr Linney said the corporation was "incredibly proud" of the UK version of the talent show. "We always said we wouldn't get into a bidding war or pay inflated prices to keep the show, and it's testament to how the BBC has built the programme up - and established it into a mainstay of the Saturday night schedule - that another broadcaster has poached it," he said. The Voice was mentioned in the government's recent green paper on the future of the BBC, questioning whether such shows were "distinctive" enough compared to commercial rivals. The next series of The Voice sees Paloma Faith and Boy George joining the panel in place of Rita Ora and Sir Tom Jones.