Ratings: ‘The X Factor’ finale up, but down vs. last year, defeats ‘The Sing-Off’

Well, “The X Factor” at least can celebrate beating something in the ratings this season. The season 3 finale last night, which saw Alex & Sierra being declared victorious, managed to bring up the ratings for the first time in quite a while. But, it was still down by a huge margin over where the show was at this point last year.

Overall, we’re talking here about a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which helped it to tie for #2 on the night behind only a repeat of “The Big Bang Theory.” (That’s really not that embarrassing anymore, since the CBS show is a ratings machine.) This was a decent lead over the 1.2 rating that “The Sing-Off” had for its penultimate episode, which seems to slip on any night where “The Voice” is not around to help it.

Does this help the odds of a season 4 happening? Possibly, but we strangely feel like the biggest thing to push the show in a good direction was Alex & Sierra winning. Had the champ this year been someone with zero potential to get on the radio or find new fans (which could be said for either of the other two finalists), it could’ve been a nail in the coffin for the show. Plus, Alex & Sierra had fans who were just watching their YouTube videos and downloading their songs without even watching the show itself. This is a very good sign for their future. While they’re not going to be the next One Direction, they do have the charisma and the talent to have some hits if there is enough promotion behind them. Also, they’re going to need the time to make an album, and not just throw together something in the studio in just a few months.

Do you think the ratings for the “X Factor” finale, or the winner, will help the show get another season? Share some of what you think below!