Ratings low for 'X Factor' premiere

Slow start for 'X Factor'

Not everything Simon Cowell touches turns to gold, reports the Los Angeles Times. Ratings for the British impresario's new singing competition, Fox's "The X Factor," delivered an underwhelming 12.2 million total viewers in its two-hour Wednesday premiere, according to early figures from Nielsen. Considering the level of hype surrounding the show -- and the involvement of Cowell, who left "American Idol" to start "Factor" in America -- the numbers were low. Cowell had said he wanted the show to beat "Idol."