Cowell's 'X Factor' Falls Short

Ratings have been lower than expected, and it's costing Fox

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Last summer, Fox readily shelled out $20 million to launch Simon Cowell’s new talent show, X Factor, in hopes of creating a flashier update of American Idol. But one month in, the once buzzed-about show is failing to live up to the hype.

According to The Wall Street Journal, X Factor has pulled in an average 12.2 million viewers since its premiere, which falls far below the 20 million that Cowell said the show would need in order to avoid being a “disappointment.”

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