Simon Cowell and Antonio “L.A.” Reid are back and are joined at the judges’ table by Britney Spears and Demi Lovato. Will The X Factor garner better ratings this season than in the last? We shall see.

The second season of The X Factor typically airs twice a week on FOX, on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Below are the TV show’s latest Wednesday ratings for the 2012-13 season, the best way to tell if The X Factor is going to be cancelled or renewed for season three.

These figures will be updated as the weeks progress so be sure to bookmark and return to this page:

Final Wednesday season averages: 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 8.12 million total viewers.

Wednesday, 12/19/12
2.7 in the demo (0% change) with 8.35 million (+7% change).
Season averages: 2.90 in the demo with 8.12 million.

Wednesday, 12/12/12
2.7 in the demo (-4% change) with 7.79 million (-6% change).
Season averages: 2.91 in the demo with 8.10 million.

Wednesday, 12/05/12
2.8 in the demo (-3% change) with 8.25 million (+1% change).
Season averages: 2.93 in the demo with 8.13 million.

Wednesday, 11/28/12
2.9 in the demo (+32% change) with 8.20 million (+13% change).
Season averages: 2.94 in the demo with 8.12 million.

Wednesday, 11/21/12
2.2 in the demo (-24% change) with 7.28 million (-11% change).
Season averages: 2.95 in the demo with 8.11 million.

Wednesday, 11/14/12
2.9 in the demo (+12% change) with 8.15 million (+16% change).
Season averages: 3.02 in the demo with 8.19 million.

Wednesday, 11/07/12
2.6 in the demo (-4% change) with 7.03 million (-8% change).
Season averages: 3.03 in the demo with 8.20 million.

Wednesday, 10/31/12
2.7 in the demo (+17% change) with 7.60 million (+33% change).
Season averages: 3.09 in the demo with 8.34 million.

Tuesday, 10/23/12 (special night)
2.3 in the demo (0% change) with 5.71 million (-9% change).
Season averages: 3.14 in the demo with 8.45 million.

UPDATE: FOX has ordered a third season of The X Factor.

Wednesday, 10/17/12
2.3 in the demo (-34% change) with 6.25 million (-35% change).
Season averages: 3.28 in the demo with 8.90 million.
Note: This hour episode’s ratings were heavily impacted by Major League Baseball rain coverage and didn’t start until 8:40pm.

Wednesday, 10/10/12
3.5 in the demo (0% change) with 9.56 million (-2% change).
Season averages: 3.48 in the demo with 9.43 million.

Wednesday, 10/03/12
3.5 in the demo (+3% change) with 9.71 million (+1% change).
Season averages: 3.48 in the demo with 9.71 million.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012
3.4 in the demo (-6% change) with 9.63 million (+1% change).
Season averages: 3.47 in the demo with 9.30 million.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
3.5 in the demo (+6% change) with 9.54 million (+9% change).
Season averages: 3.50 in the demo with 9.13 million.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012
3.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 8.73 million viewers.
Season averages: 3.40 in the demo with 8.73 million.

It was a disappointing premiere of The X Factor. Though the ratings were strong, they represent a significant drop from the first season debut (a 4.4 demo rating with 12.49 million).

Note: These ratings are collected by the Nielsen company and are the final national numbers. These are different from the fast affiliate numbers which are just estimates of the actual ratings and are reported on by most other outlets. The final nationals are typically released within 24 hours of the programming or, in the case of weekends and holidays, a couple days later.

What do you think? Do you like The X Factor TV series? Do you think it should be cancelled or renewed for a third season?