Andy DehnartA year and a half ago, I joked in a satirical post that American Idol would accept votes via Twitter. But that’s exactly what will happen starting next week, when voting begins on Fox’s The X Factor.
Fox announced late Tuesday that it will “allow fans — for the first time in television — to cast votes for their favorite finalists” on Twitter, which will happen
via direct messages sent to @TheXFactorUSA. Public tweets do not count; Fox has instructions for people who are new to Twitter.
There will also be traditional voting via a toll-free number, and Verizon customers can also vote via an app or text message.
The New York Times reported that “Twitter executives say they don’t pay for such placement,” although it did cost them money “to set up the voting infrastructure.”