WSJ on X Factor ratings

X & 0’S: Ratings of Fox’s The X Factor (see 10/19 item below) were scrutinized this morning by another News Corp.-owned entity, the Wall Street Journal. The piece notes that the show is drawing smaller audiences in the early going than Simon Cowell had projected. Since premiering in mid-September, the show has drawn 12.2 million viewers on average—well below the 20 million that Cowell said over the summer was necessary for the show not to be a "disappointment." That compares with the average of 25.2 million people who watched American Idol in its 10th season, according to Nielsen. Fox invested heavily in The X Factor, including $20 million to launch and market the show. The network topped a $250 million offer from NBC for Cowell to produce and star in the show, as the WSJ previously reported. "Right now—and I'm not just saying this—we are thrilled with the numbers," said Fox President of Alternative Entertainment Mike Darnell. "My competitors would give one eye and two legs to have this show." Darnell adds that if X Factor continued to draw its current numbers, "I would be perfectly happy and the show would become a staple of the network." (10/20a)