America's Got Talent axe? It is time for Simon Cowell to end dated format of Britain's Got Talent too - and even Sharon Osborne agrees

Those of us with long memories will remember the excitement around each episode - back in the day when everyone watched TV at the same time and didn’t stream it whenever they fancied straight to their phone. They were different and fresh - America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent, X Factor - the list was long.

But X Factor’s incredible initial viewing figures hit their peak in 2010 with more than 14million viewers and it then went quickly downhill. So why does Simon Cowell still plough on with his dated formats regardless? Well, the cynic might suggest that he will as long as the shows are making money - which clearly some do.

As for Britain’s Got Talent, ITV are standing firmly behind their big hitter even as numbers dwindle. A spokesman said: “BGT is one of the biggest entertainment shows in ITV's history. Across the years it has reached more than 55 million viewers and 143 of its episodes have exceeded 10 million viewers each.

“Every year for 16 years, BGT has been in ITV's top five overnight audiences and for the past six series (as far as streaming records go back), it has been streamed 88 million times.”

It is a similar story for America’s Got Talent - still a success but less people watching than before.

None of that stops the feeling that we’ve seen it all before, that the format is not only tired but boring and that there must be industry experts out there with better ideas.

I remember my daughter’s excitement reaching boiling point as she waited to see if Leona Lewis might just win the 2006X Factor series. My daughter was only 7 then and she quickly grew out of it as did all her friends.

X Factor ran for around 445 episodes across fifteen series, each one primarily broadcast late in the year, until its final episode in December 2018. A long and painful end.

Is it time to pull the plug on all similar TV talent shows? Simon Cowell is believed to be worth a staggering £300m and, at the age of 65, perhaps the public deserve something better.

If you are looking for more evidence than all those friends who have better things to do with their weekend evenings, even former judge Sharon Osbourne has blasted the "dated" talent shows.

The 72-year-old star - who had stints as a judge on both The X Factor and America's Got Talent between 2004 and 2017 - has hit out at Cowell and urged him to "stop with the pantomime" on programmes like Britain's Got Talent.

She told Music Week: "It's formulaic, it's for TV, it's not 'real'. You get tired of the bulls***. It gets me every time. You see it with 'America's Got Talent, everybody knows who's coming on, you're prepped before every person comes on - it's like, 'Stop with the bulls*** and the tears.'

"If it was real, it would be a whole lot better because the idea for the show is brilliant but just make it real, make it organic, stop with the pantomime. It's very dated."

And while Simon has had huge success with acts like One Direction in the past, Sharon - who previously managed husband Ozzy Osbourne and Motorhead - has no desire to get into that world.

She added: "I can't stand boybands. I never have been able to as far as what they achieve and what they do. I hate it because it's formulaic. It's, 'Oh, let's go to Sweden, we'll get that k******* to write us a song and then we'll have a hit and we'll get a good choreographer and a good stylist'.

"I hate that part of the industry, it's so disposable. It's not even elevator music."

Although The X Factor was taken off air after falling ratings, Cowell has maintained his hope that Britain's Got Talent will remain a TV staple for years to come.

In April last year, he told BANG Showbiz and other media outlets: "I always thought, ‘If we can get three or four years out of this, it would be amazing’, and then you reach ten years and you go, ‘that’s a milestone’.

“I think because so many people now come from all over the world to compete, and it’s not just winning the show, it’s having that viral moment which can literally change your life overnight.

“I think that’s why people are going to come back year after year after year and hopefully keep competing and get better, because that’s what I’m seeing is that the acts are getting better, and because the show has all ages, I think it’s going to be here for a long, long time.”