General Chat

The results of The X Factor have been called into question by television bosses after its tightly controlled voting system was effectively hijacked.
Instead of paying for premium-rate calls, thousands of viewers are now voting ‘unofficially’ – and much more cheaply – for their favourite acts via a website.
Viewers who vote via the free2call.tv website pay for their calls by listening to a 15-second online advert – but in doing so circumvent all the security surrounding the official phone lines.
Irish ayes: Jedward have attracted many votes through free2call

But there are fears this could threaten the legitimacy of existing and future results and lead to ‘possible fraud’ and a situation in which ITV ‘may need to cancel the entire vote’.
This would raise the prospect of the talent show, which rakes in millions of pounds for ITV and is expected to be the most watched programme of the year, being left without an overall winner.
It might also force the broadcaster to refund the cost of millions of votes, a complex and highly problematic exercise, and one that has already thrown it into panic.
The Mail on Sunday has learned that ITV held a crisis meeting with regulator Ofcom last Wednesday, and, underlining the gravity of the problem, lawyers from Channel 4 and the BBC also attended amid worries it may have implications for other shows, such as Strictly Come Dancing.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1227940/Pirate-phone-operator-hijacks-X-Factor-lines-free-website-allow-betting-rings-foreign-voters-rig-results.html#ixzz0X1OaYgTe




apparently this means that voters from Ireland have possibly been sidestepping the no overseas voting rule.

there is always disputes over voting

I don't think this is so much a dispute over voting but more the fact that charities will lose out because of people not paying for the call as they should, They also might have to repay the money made in phone calls to those who voted honestly.

the amount of money those judges are getting is obscene

that comes out of the phone call money to

why cant they give most of their fees to charity in that case

Joy, I agree with you about the judges giving their fees to charity.
I was watching last night when all the contestants sang their song for the charity Great Ormond Street. It was very nice, and had me in tears. It was one of Michael Jackson's. But, then I thought, as I looked across the faces of the judges, why don't you lot give some of your own money to this very worthwhile charity. Surely they do not need anymore money.
But then again, I suppose someone will say it is theirs to do with what they want, and who is to say they don't already give some of their money. It just riles me to think that such a good and worthwhile hospital as the Great Ormond Street, has to rely on charity.
Rant over. Back to the ironing - 6 pairs of jeans
Julia in Derbyshire

Cheryl gets 1.7 million
according to the papers yesterday that's shocking

I believe the free to vote calls are restricted to 10,000, so probably not making that much of an impact on the overall votes??

But!, as rightly pointed out on here, it is allowing *overseas* calls to be counted, which (imo) is wrong.

Mary