“The X Factor” Loses Head-to-Head Ratings Battle with “The Voice”
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Ray Mickshaw/FOX(LOS ANGELES) — A revamped judges’ panel on The X Factor wasn’t enough to carry the Fox singing show to a ratings victory over its NBC rival, The Voice, on Wednesday night.
A recently-added one-hour episode of The Voice aired opposite the season premiere of The X Factor in the 8 p.m. Eastern time hour. During their head-to-head matchup, The Voice averaged an estimated 10.7 million viewers, while the first hour of The X Factor pulled in just 7.5 million viewers, according to Variety.
The X Factor audience grew during its second hour, and averaged 8.5 million viewers for the entire episode.
One can argue that it’s a disappointing total for Simon Cowell’s show, given that it made two high-profile hires in Britney Spears and Demi Lovato for its judges’ panel.
In an interview with TMZ.com last week, Cowell openly chastised NBC for scheduling an additional night of The Voice against The X Factor. The Voice is regularly scheduled to air on Monday and Tuesday nights this fall.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio