ITV did not mislead audiences over X Factor 2007 winner, Ofcom rules

Published Thursday 8 May 2008 at 15:10 by Matthew Hemley

Leon Jackson was “correctly announced as the winner” of 2007’s The X Factor, Ofcom has ruled today.

More than 1,000 viewers contacted the regulator when Jackson was pronounced winner of the ITV singing competition in December last year, complaining they had been unable to get through to vote for their favourite act.

Most of the complaints were understood to have come from fans of Welsh singer Rhydian Roberts, who came second to Jackson.

However, in a report issued by Ofcom today, the regulator found that “a detailed minute by minute analysis of call data” established that Jackson was the right winner.

It found ITV had not misled its audiences by claiming the finalists were “neck and neck” and that any difficulties viewers had in calling the programme did not “result in unfairness”.

The findings were published in a report following an investigation into misconduct in viewer competitions and voting on ITV shows.

Ofcom fined the broadcaster a record £5.67 million for what it described as some of the “most serious breaches” of its broadcasting code.

Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Ant and Dec’s Gameshow Marathon and Soapstar Superstar were all slapped with fines.

Other shows found to be in breach, but which escaped financial penalties, included I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.