X Factor 2013: 11m tune into Sunday night's show

The X Factor judges: Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger (ITV)

The new series of the X Factor has continued to pull in audiences after more than 11 million people tuned in to watch the second episode.

The show, which saw the first batch of contenders sing in front of thousands of fans at Wembley Arena, drew an average of 9.9 million viewers.

Ratings, which also include people watching on ITV+1, show that a peak audience of 11.2 million tuned in.

Saturday's launch show pulled in an average of 9.2 million viewers - 500,000 more than last year's debut - and had a peak audience of 10.3 million.

ITV bosses will be hoping the figures mark an end to the ratings slide which have seen it lose viewers in recent years.

Last year's final, where James Arthur was named the winner, had an average audience of 11.1 million compared with the 13.1 million who watched Little Mix win in 2011.

It is only three years since 17.2 million tuned in to see Matt Cardle triumph in the 2010 competition.

The X Factor has for many years been one of ITV's bankers in terms of audiences and advertising and the channel will hope changes to the show's structure and the return of Sharon Osbourne as a judge will keep viewers tuning in.

The return of its rival - the BBC's ballroom show Strictly Come Dancing - will also up the stakes as the broadcasters battle to dominate Saturday night viewing.

PA