X-Factor vs. The Voice: Christina Aguilera defeats Britney Spears Again; The X Factor stumbles on its Season Premiere!

Last night marked the first head to head of TV's most popular talent shows. The "X Factor" premiered to slightly lower ratings than its rival show "The Voice." 

"The X Factor", which premiered its second season last night, was showing off its two new judges Britney Spears and Demi Lovato. However that did not attract as much audience as "The Voice" whose judges include Ce Lo Green, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shleton. According to Nielsen ratings, an average 8.5 million Americans tuned in to watch "The X Factor", which was about 3.5 million less from the show's 2011 opener.

On the other hand 10.7 million watched "The Voice" in its third episode of the season. 

The ratings come as a surprise after the aggressive publicity by Spears and Cowell. Spears was hired after Cowell fired Paula Abdul because he thought it would be a good match against "The Voice," which features rival Pop star, Christina Aguilera. It was later reported that Spears earned $15 million for the show.

Despite weak ratings, Spears received rave reviews from critics and fans for her cutting remarks and a no-nonsense dismissal of bad contestants vying for a $5 million prize and recording contract.Some of the more memorable remarks included "I felt like I was listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks," and  "I wanna know who let you onstage. I feel uncomfortable with you even staring at me,"

Billboard even praised Spears for showing herself as a pro at delivering tough-to-swallow feedback that is often avoided during these kinds of reality competitions. 

Other good news for the show is that it will not have with compete with "The Voice" regularly. After last years success "The Voice decided to show the program twice a week and late last week NBC executives decided to add a third night in the show's opening week, putting "The Voice" in direct competition with Simon Cowell's "The X Factor." 

"The X Factor" also became the most social season TV premiere of all time triggering 1.4 million comments on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. Both Spears and former Disney Channel star Lovato were a hit on social media according to social TV analytics firm Bluefin Labs.

The next episode of "The X Factor" will air tonight at 8pm on Fox.