Fox’s “The X Factor” Is First-Ever TV Show To Open Up Voting To Twitter

It seems like every month there’s another indication that Twitter is moving closer and closer to the mainstream.

This week, Fox and Twitter announced that Fox’s “The X Factor” would allow viewers to cast their votes for their favorite contestants using Twitter.

Right after the November 2nd live performance episode of “The X Factor” airs, fans of the show can log on to Twitter and submit their votes.

To vote, fans must first follow @TheXFactorUSA. Then, they will be able to send a Direct Message to the account, which will count as a vote. A tweet to the account will not count.

Each fan can send up to 50 (!) DMs and they will all be counted as votes. Or, fans can vote using text messages, calling, the show’s website, Facebook and by using the Xtra Factor app on Verizon Androids.

Not only can fans interact with the official X Factor Twitter account, but the judges themselves will be tweeting news and commentary about the live show, and data from Twitter will be broadcast on the TV show itself.

This is a win-win for Twitter. By integrating with such a popular show and offering the ability to vote (50 times!) via a DM, the network will no doubt see a spike in new users signing up just to follow @TheXFactorUSA and vote for their favorite contestant.

This is the first time Twitter has been so deeply integrated with a reality TV show. Twitter has been used in the past to augment other types of TV shows, including live-tweeting from cast members and a place to explore sub-plots in a mystery series.

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