Twice as many groups as last year have reportedly auditioned for the new series of The X Factor.
The Sun reports that out of 18,000 people at recent auditions in London, there were 1,000 groups, all hoping to follow JLS and One Direction by landing record deals after appearing on the show.
"One Direction have totally changed the ball game this year," a source told the paper. "Every other act is now a band and they have put so much effort into their appearances.
"We've been putting far more group acts through than in previous years."
However, the paper also claims that production staff are worried about the level of talent who have auditioned so far.
"The talent pool is drying up. Production is finding itself in the situation where literally everyone who should have done so has already tried out," the insider added.
"The fact Simon [Cowell] and Cheryl [Cole] might not be there is also having an impact as people are obsessed by them. They figure they'll try out another year when they're back."
