'The Voice' Live Tour Threatens To Derail Simon Cowell's X Factor

Whilst in the US it's 'American Idol' that 'The Voice' is putting under pressure, in the UK it's the might of Simon Cowell and his 'Britain's Got Talent' show that's being threatened by the emergence of the hugely popular reality singing contest. It's been back and forth in the ratings between the two shows all spring, though Cowell got the upper hand this weekend just gone.

However, if the mogul thinks he's winning the war he's got another thing coming, as 'The Voice' now looks set to impede on the impact of the new series of the UK's 'X Factor' later in the year. Show bosses have announced that a live tour featuring the final eight contestants in the current series will run through September, and start with the new series of Cowell's show well under way.

According to UK newspaper The Metro, the tour blurb reads "You've watched them in the blind auditions, seen them sing their hearts out in the battles, supported them, tweeted them, now it's your chance to see for yourself the singer who is eventually crowned champion of the show and the 7 fellow finalists - a group of the most talented singers in the UK, live on stage." Whilst surely the actual attendance numbers won't do any damage whatsoever to Cowell's show, the increased press interest on it will undoubtedly harm a brand used to having the lion's share of media attention during its course.