>American Idol returned to the air down 26% from last year. It still dominates the night, but it raises many questions. Is the singing contest sub-genre tired as a whole? Did X Factor lessen interest in Idol‘s return? Are viewers tiring of the Idol judges? And most intriguingly, is this a good sign or a bad for The Voice on NBC? Of course, The Voice will preview to a mammoth number immediately following the Super Bowl, but the most telling rating will come the first or second Monday in its normal time period. Only then will we truly know if the entire genre is under pressure or if former Idol fans are switching brands to the turning chairs on The Voice.
Nightly Adult 18-49 Rating
Wednesday FOX ABC CBS NBC
01.18.2012 7.2 3.0 2.5 1.5
01.19.2011 9.7 2.7 1.9 1.7
FOX’s American Idol returned last night and dominated the night, but it was down 26% from the 9.7 rating the two-hour premiere posted last year on this night. The show started at a 6.4 and built to a 7.8 rating in the last half hour (a 22% increase from the beginning of the show to the end), very similar to the build pattern last year (from an 8.5 rating at 8:00-8:30 to an enormous 10.4 from 9:30-10:00 last year).
Season Last Six Weeks
FOX Wed High Low 1214 1221 1228 01.4 1.11 1.18
American Idol7.2 7.2 7.2*
X Factor 4.4 2.5 3.4 3.3 — — —
Hate Teenage 2.8 1.8 1.8 2.0 — — —
NBC was hurt the most last night by Idol, down to a 1.4 rating from 8-10 pm from a 1.7 last week (down 16%). Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea? sunk below a 2 rating, an area they will be stuck in for weeks to come. Harry’s Law sunk back to a season low as did L&O SVU at 10 pm. Last year on this night was about the same from 8-10 pm but much better at 10 pm: Minute to Win It (1.6), Chase (1.0) and Law & Order SVU (2.3).
Season Last Six Weeks NBC Wed High Low 1214 1221 1228 01.4 1.11 1.18
Up All Night 2.4 1.5 1.1R — 1.0R 1.0R
Free Agents 1.3 1.0
Whitney 2.1 1.6 2.0 1.6*
Chelsea 2.3 1.8 2.3 1.8*
Harry’s Law 1.4 1.1 0.7R — 0.5R 0.8R 1.2 1.1*
L&O SVU 2.4 1.9 1.1R 1.0R 0.9R 1.1R 2.0 1.8*
ABC placed second with a 3.0 rating from 8-11 pm, down only one tenth of a rating point from last week. Basically, the 8-9 pm comedies were down a few tenths but Revenge bounced up one tenth for the hour at 10 pm. Last year on this night, ABC averaged a 2.7 rating (with its main problem being 10 pm): The Middle (2.6), Better with You (2.1), Modern Family (4.6), Cougar Town (2.4) and Off the Map (2.1).
Season Last Six Weeks
ABC Wed High Low 1214 1221 1228 01.4 1.11 1.18
The Middle 3.2 2.5 1.6R 1.4R 1.3R 3.0 2.9 2.6*
Suburgatory 3.4 2.5 1.6R 1.5R 1.4R 2.9 2.9 2.5*
Modern Fami 6.1 4.5 2.3R 2.2R 1.9R 5.7 5.1 5.0*
Happy Ending 3.5 2.7 — 1.4R 1.2R 3.2 3.0 2.9*
Revenge 3.4 2.1 — 0.9R 0.6R 2.5 2.4 2.5*
CBS averaged a mediocre 2.5 rating for the night. Pending updates in the official nationals, Criminal Minds looks to set a season low but CSI posted a more normal rating at 10 pm. (The night started with a soft NCIS repeat — 1.5 rating.) Last year on this night: Live to Dance (1.0), Criminal Minds (2.9) and Blue Bloods (2.0).
Season Last Six Weeks
CBS Wed High Low 1214 1221 1228 01.4 1.11 1.18
Survivor 3.6 3.1 3.1 — — — — —
Criminal Min 4.1 3.4 3.4 1.5R 2.4R 2.0R — 3.2*
CSI 3.2 2.5 2.9 1.6R 2.1R 1.7R — 2.8*
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