430. The X Factor

After all the hype, Fox's The X Factor debuted to a relatively underwhelming 12.1 million viewers with an 8.7 household rating and a 4.2 among 18-to-49-year-olds, preliminary Nielsen data show — far shy of American Idol's numbers for its Season 10 opener.

X Factor creator Simon Cowell previously stated that he wanted the US version of The X Factor to perform better than American Idol in the ratings, but the first show attracted only about half the audience numbers of the rival talent show.



(tags: Entertainment Series, Television, Reality TV, Reality TV, Simon Cowell, X Factor, Paula Abdul, American Idol)