Louis Walsh has insisted that Ireland will save the X Factor from being totally beaten by Strictly Come Dancing.
The music TV series lost out to the BBC’s dancing competition yesterday in the UK – with an average of 200,000 more people watching.
But Louis, 62, insists that Irish viewers will be more loyal after last year.
He said: “Everyone here is going to stay glued to the show this season as usual.”
Competition: Jenny Gibney is competing on Strictly | BRIAN MCEVOY
Last year, an average of 413,000 watched X Factor on TV3, while 148,000 tuned into Strictly.
In the UK, Simon Cowell has already conceded the first battle to his competitor.
He said: “So the numbers are in. Strictly peak 9.4. X Factor peak 9.2. Round one to them. Such a shame they were both on at the same time!”
Already, Cowell has hit out at his rival’s producers for deciding to schedule the shows against each other.
