"The Voice" easily beat the season premiere of "X Factor" in the ratings on Wednesday night.  "The Voice" attracted 10.7 million viewers, while "X Factor" drew just 7.5 million in the 8:00 P.M. hour.

"X Factor" did better in its second hour, when it didn't have to compete against "The Voice".  It had 9.5 million viewers then, which brought its overall two-hour average up to 8.5 million viewers.

There's good news and bad news for SIMON COWELL:  The good news is:  "X Factor" isn't scheduled go up against "The Voice" on a regular basis . . . and the show DID do well in the coveted demographic of 18- to 49-year-olds.

But the bad news is:  The season premiere was down FOUR MILLION VIEWERS from last season's debut . . . and Wednesday night was a SERIES LOW, meaning no episode last season drew fewer than 8.5 million viewers.