X Factor's ratings plunge has worsened after Sunday night's show recorded the lowest ever figures for a final on the show.
X Factor : The Band saw girl group Real Like You crowned the series' champions and receive a record deal, but a mere 1.7 million viewers tuned in to watch.
This follows a slump in ratings for the show during the recent celebrity edition - head honcho Simon Cowell reportedly made a bold attempt to rejuvenate the show this year by introducing two spin-off shows.
The newest edition saw Simon and Nicole Scherzinger as the two judges, joined by guest judges including Leona Lewis.
Last week's show saw the numbers start off on a slightly stronger foot - it drew 2.75 million viewers, but by the time the show had wrapped up for the week the number had plummeted to 1.68 million.
It was outperformed in the ratings by the Beeb's Question Time.
"X Factor: The Band performed well with younger audiences," a source said, "And despite the Question Time special this week being specifically targeted at the Under-30s, The X Factor still pulled in 50% more of those key 16 - 34 year old viewers!"
Sunday night's ratings continue the downward trend set by X Factor: Celebrity, which saw a low of 2.2 million viewers.
The singing contest, having kicked off in 2004, reached its peak in 2010 with a whopping 19.4 million switching on their tellies to see who would triumph.
2010 saw Matt Cardle triumph, but also boasted Cher Lloyd and boyband sensation One Direction as competitors.
Fans took to Twitter during Sunday's show to hit out at the "rushed format."
One disgruntled viewer asked: "How are we supposed to vote a band we like when it's the first time actually watching them sing together? This definitely could have just been an hour long."
Another lamented: "It's a shame because, if this had been given a full series, Real Like You could have real potential. But, this format has failed them #XFactorTheBand."
"Finding this #XFactorTheBand hard to watch feels rushed," penned a third.
Mirror Online has contacted ITV for comment.
