Simon Cowell said that he’s sure Fox will renew The X Factor, but the network might have a hard time justifying that after the season three finale’s ratings took a nosedive from last year. Although the show helped Fox earn the top rating of the night, it could not stand out among a night of repeats on the other networks.
CBS actually earned the most viewers on the night with only 6.88 million viewers and a 1.5 18-49 rating. HitFix notes that a Big Bang Theory repeat kicked things off with 11.13 million viewers and a 2.8 demo rating, but repeats of The Millers, The Crazy Ones, Two and a Half Men and Elementary pulled down the overall numbers for CBS.
Fox’s X Factor finale drew just 6.2 million viewers and a 1.7 18-49 rating. That was a 45 percent fall from last season in the demo. It was also a 36 percent drop in viewers, notes TheWrap. The $1 million prize went to duo Alex and Sierra.
Earlier this week, Cowell said that he was sure the show will be renewed for a fourth season. However, it is possible that the show might be cut down to just two hours a week instead of three.
ABC aired A Charlie Brown Christmas and a 20/20 special, averaging 5.94 million viewers. NBC had The Sing-Off and an SNL Christmas, which combined for 4.36 million viewers. Both networks earned a 1.5 rating in the key demo.
image: Fox