“X Factor” ratings plunge for season 2
The addition of Britney Spears as a new judge on The X Factor may not have been enough to boost falling ratings. The second season of the talent show premiered Wednesday night to a 30 percent smaller audience.
Simon Cowell's new primetime baby, the "X Factor", debuted its second season Wednesday night to disappointing audience figures, reports the Los Angeles Times.
8.5 million viewers tuned in to see Cowell and new judges Britney Spears and Demi Lovato critique amateur singing voices but that was still down 32 percent from last year.
Entertainment Weekly reports the true star of Wednesday night's talent TV was NBC's "The Voice", which brought in 10.6 million viewers.
Fox's ratings might spell trouble for "The X Factor". The UK import went through a revamp last year after Cowell ditched judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger when the show's ratings fell short of predictions, reports The Washington Post. The shake-up was meant to attract advertiser-prized younger audiences but so far the ratings do not spell success.
USA Today reports that NBC's "The Voice" beat "X Factor" by 18 percent among young adults.
Luckily for Fox, Spears' role as a judge was generally well received, reports the Post. Even the usually-grumpy Simon Cowell told the pop princess, "you're very good at this."
Spears, 30, reportedly inked a one-season, $15 million contract to join the show.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!