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Free2Call.tv
"X Factor fans will be able to vote for their favourite act without paying for premium-rate phone calls.
By using the website Free2Call.tv, viewers can dodge expensive phone lines in return for listening to a 15-second advert.
Voting this way costs the same as a local call because the rest is paid for by advertisers, a concept similar to the one used by free music service Spotify.
It costs around 35 pence to call X Factor from a landline but "considerably more" from mobile phones.
The service will launch ahead of the live shows of the talent contest and could eventually be used for other phone-in votes, such Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing.
"Due to the credit crunch, people are staying in at the weekends to watch shows like X Factor but they don't want to pay so much to call," managing director Mark Hillman told Sky News Online.
He said Free2Call.tv does not break any rules and has been checked by the regulator Ofcom.
X Factor bosses should welcome the idea as it will encourage more people to vote, he said.
An X Factor spokeswoman confirmed they were aware of the new service.
"We are making enquiries into the claims made by Free2Call.tv - which is not an official voting line for The X Factor and is not authorised by talkbackThames/Syco or ITV," she said.
"We would urge viewers to think carefully before voting via any method other than the official phone lines, which are promoted within the programme, to ensure that their votes are properly counted."
Premium-rate phone lines became mired in controversy in 2007 when it emerged callers were wasting money dialling in for competitions they had no chance of winning.
ITV was fined a record £5.7m by Ofcom last year."
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It's a series of simple steps...
Find the specific Free2call number
Go to Free2call and find the specific 03 type number for the person you're voting for. The plan is it'll start with X-Factor then add other shows as they air. Voting hasn't started for the X-Factor yet, so no numbers are displayed.
03s are a relatively new number range, that do not generate revenue for the company called, and cost exactly the same as normal calls to UK landlines (ie those starting 01 or 02). Plus if landline calls are included in your free minutes, then these 03 numbers will be free too.
Listen to a 15 second advert
Once you've dialled the number you'll listen to a 15-second advert. After that, the service will route your call to the actual X-Factor number where you should hear confirmation that your vote's been registered. Wait for this announcement to ensure your vote's counted.
If lines are shut - indicating you're too early or too late to vote - you'll hear an engaged tone.
The cost of the more expensive routed call to X-Factor is paid for by Free2call with the revenue generated by its advertisers.
Will it work?
This is a brand new site which won't fully launch until the first X-Factor live voting show, so is still untested. Certainly the concept should work, though until the first voting week it'll be impossible to tell.
However we wanted to bring you the news first and we'll be monitoring the service. An update will be included in the weekly e-mail before the first voting weekend.
The telecoms regulator Ofcom says the service seems to be compliant with relevant rules, though X-Factor is very keen to point out this isn't an official route to take the place of votes and it has nothing to do with it.
We are still waiting for final confirmation from X-Factor that the votes will count, yet Free2call is adamant votes will be placed directly with the show; it is simply playing the middle-man and transferring your call.
Of course, the worst case scenario is you pay for a local call and listen to an advert for no reason.
"X Factor fans will be able to vote for their favourite act without paying for premium-rate phone calls.
By using the website Free2Call.tv, viewers can dodge expensive phone lines in return for listening to a 15-second advert.
Voting this way costs the same as a local call because the rest is paid for by advertisers, a concept similar to the one used by free music service Spotify.
It costs around 35 pence to call X Factor from a landline but "considerably more" from mobile phones.
The service will launch ahead of the live shows of the talent contest and could eventually be used for other phone-in votes, such Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing.
"Due to the credit crunch, people are staying in at the weekends to watch shows like X Factor but they don't want to pay so much to call," managing director Mark Hillman told Sky News Online.
He said Free2Call.tv does not break any rules and has been checked by the regulator Ofcom.
X Factor bosses should welcome the idea as it will encourage more people to vote, he said.
An X Factor spokeswoman confirmed they were aware of the new service.
"We are making enquiries into the claims made by Free2Call.tv - which is not an official voting line for The X Factor and is not authorised by talkbackThames/Syco or ITV," she said.
"We would urge viewers to think carefully before voting via any method other than the official phone lines, which are promoted within the programme, to ensure that their votes are properly counted."
Premium-rate phone lines became mired in controversy in 2007 when it emerged callers were wasting money dialling in for competitions they had no chance of winning.
ITV was fined a record £5.7m by Ofcom last year."
**********************************************************
It's a series of simple steps...
Find the specific Free2call number
Go to Free2call and find the specific 03 type number for the person you're voting for. The plan is it'll start with X-Factor then add other shows as they air. Voting hasn't started for the X-Factor yet, so no numbers are displayed.
03s are a relatively new number range, that do not generate revenue for the company called, and cost exactly the same as normal calls to UK landlines (ie those starting 01 or 02). Plus if landline calls are included in your free minutes, then these 03 numbers will be free too.
Listen to a 15 second advert
Once you've dialled the number you'll listen to a 15-second advert. After that, the service will route your call to the actual X-Factor number where you should hear confirmation that your vote's been registered. Wait for this announcement to ensure your vote's counted.
If lines are shut - indicating you're too early or too late to vote - you'll hear an engaged tone.
The cost of the more expensive routed call to X-Factor is paid for by Free2call with the revenue generated by its advertisers.
Will it work?
This is a brand new site which won't fully launch until the first X-Factor live voting show, so is still untested. Certainly the concept should work, though until the first voting week it'll be impossible to tell.
However we wanted to bring you the news first and we'll be monitoring the service. An update will be included in the weekly e-mail before the first voting weekend.
The telecoms regulator Ofcom says the service seems to be compliant with relevant rules, though X-Factor is very keen to point out this isn't an official route to take the place of votes and it has nothing to do with it.
We are still waiting for final confirmation from X-Factor that the votes will count, yet Free2call is adamant votes will be placed directly with the show; it is simply playing the middle-man and transferring your call.
Of course, the worst case scenario is you pay for a local call and listen to an advert for no reason.
