The X Factor is a New Zealand television reality music competition, originating from the original UK series and based on the Australian The X Factor production format. The first series premiered on the TV3 channel on 21 April 2013, with regular Sunday and Monday screenings weekly. The show is open to anyone aged 14 and over, and the winner will be signed to Sony Music Entertainment New Zealand. The contestants are split into the show's four traditional categories: Boys, Girls, Over-25s and Groups. The first series is hosted by Dominic Bowden, with recording artists Daniel Bedingfield, Melanie Blatt, Ruby Frost and Stan Walker, as the show's four judges. In early 2013, a pre-audition tour of 27 towns and cities across New Zealand was held to find the contestants for the judges auditions. Successful contestants from the judges auditions then progressed to the bootcamp round filmed in March.
