The debut of Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor” played second fiddle to “Modern Family.”

On a competitive night of fall debuts, Fox’s singing contest kicked off Wednesday with a total audience of 12.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen Co. ratings. The real glory went to ABC’s Emmy-winning “Modern Family,” which earned a leading 14.5 million viewers.

Among advertiser-coveted young adult viewers, the ABC 8-10 p.m. EDT sitcom duo of “The Middle” and “Modern Family” were the leaders and topped “X Factor” by 5 percent.

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