'The X Factor' Renewed for a Second Season Despite Ratings Disappointment

While Simon Cowell may have not gotten anywhere near his goals with ratings for the U.S. version of "The X Factor," the show is doing well enough to be renewed for a second season on Fox.

Before the show aired, Cowell said that he expected as many as 20 million viewers to tune in to the show, while it is currently averaging 13 million total viewers. Either way, that's ratings a-plenty for Fox.

Mike Darnell, president of alternative programming for Fox Broadcasting made the announcement in a press release today, calling the show "a monumental success" despite it coming nowhere near Cowell's lofty ratings expectations.

"The X Factor is a monumental success. It's won every night it's been on the air, the talent is phenomenal, the live shows are spectacular and picking it up is a complete no-brainer. Simon and his team have done an incredible job with the show, and I’m absolutely thrilled to bring back The X Factor for another fantastic season."

Cowell acknowledged in October that the show has not met expectations.

"I'm not going to lie. I wanted 20 million when we launched," Cowell told The Hollywood Reporter, "but now I'm kind of back in the real world and I'm seeing this grow naturally. I'm as happy as I've ever been."

As far as the renewal goes, Cowell says he's "absolutely thrilled with the news."

“I have loved making the show and I want to thank Fox, our sponsors and most importantly, the fans for supporting 'The X Factor,'” Cowell said in the announcement release.

Now if they could only do something to make the competition on the show seem more legit.

Check out our recap of last night's episode.

Watch Simon Cowell discuss the dissapointing ratings for "The X Factor":