New judges Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio are slated to earn a far cry from the star's $15 million salary as they join Simon Cowell amid a steep ratings slide.
Simon Cowell is downsizing The X Factor.
The May 20 hiring of Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio as season-three judges is likely to save Fox and producers FremantleMedia and Cowell’s Syco a lot of cash.
Sources tell THR that the new recruits will cost a fraction of the $15 million that Britney Spears commanded in season two: around $1 million for former Destiny’s Child singer Rowland, 32, and closer to $1.5 million for Rubio, 41, a Mexican singer-actress who also pulls down a judge’s salary for La Voz Kids, a Spanish-language kids version of The Voice airing on Telemundo.
Even with Spears joining Cowell, L.A. Reid and Demi Lovato last season, X Factor lost 20 percent of its 18-to-49 audience, with ad revenue dropping from $502 million in year one to $386 million in 2012, according to Kantar Media.
Rowland is making about what Lovato received when she joined the show. It’s believed Lovato asked for double her fee after her well-received debut on the show.
According to reports, Rowland earned about $750,000 for her one-season turn on X Factor U.K. in 2011, so her new pay actually is a small raise. Says a source close to the deal-making: "Salaries are all over the place because ratings are all over the place.” That's especially true of X Factor, adds the insider, which has struggled to find its footing.
A Fox rep declined comment.
@AMYCHICK94 56m
@EdyMeza @TheXFactorUSA @SimonCowell i had been 2 the tapings the last 2 seasons and this was by the best . the talent was incredible!
Quote:
@AMYCHICK94 5m
@JustAPrettyLie Demi was brill, the entire panel are what reality tv needs atm. Demi is Kind, Paulina is Fiesty, Kelly is Stern, Simon scary
Going with Paulina adds an element of mystery tbh. People in the US don't know her very much so they are intriguied to see who she is. And if she's what her stans are says about her, then the ratings will be high this year.
I'm very excited to see how she and Demi are gonna bond together
