American Idol - Television Ratings

Television Ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of American Idol. It is one of the highest-rated TV shows in the history of television.

Season Premiered Ended TV season Season Timeslot Season
ranking
Date Viewers
(in millions)
Date Viewers
(in millions)
1 June 11, 2002 9.85 Final Performances: September 3, 2002 18.69 2002 Tuesday 9:00 pm
(performance show)
30
Season Finale: September 4, 2002 23.02 Wednesday 9:30 pm
(results show)
25
2 January 21, 2003 26.50 Final Performances: May 20, 2003 25.67 2003 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
5
Season Finale: May 21, 2003 38.06 Wednesday 8:30 pm
(results show)
3
3 January 19, 2004 28.96 Final Performances: May 25, 2004 25.13 2004 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
1
Season Finale: May 26, 2004 28.84 Wednesday 8:30 pm
(results show)
3
4 January 18, 2005 33.58 Final Performances: May 24, 2005 28.05 2005 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
1
Season Finale: May 25, 2005 30.27 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results show)
3
5 January 17, 2006 35.53 Final Performances: May 23, 2006 31.78 2006 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
1
Season Finale: May 24, 2006 36.38 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results show)
2
6 January 16, 2007 37.44 Final Performances: May 22, 2007 25.33 2007 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
2
Season Finale: May 23, 2007 30.76 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results show)
1
7 January 15, 2008 33.48 Final Performances: May 20, 2008 27.06 2008 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
1
Season Finale: May 21, 2008 31.66 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results show)
2
8 January 13, 2009 30.45 Final Performances: May 19, 2009 23.82 2009 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
2
Season Finale: May 20, 2009 28.84 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results show)
1
9 January 12, 2010 29.95 Final Performances: May 25, 2010 20.07 2010 Tuesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
1
Season Finale: May 26, 2010 24.22 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(results show)
2
10 January 19, 2011 26.23 Final Performances: May 24, 2011 20.57 2011 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
1
Season Finale: May 25, 2011 29.29 Thursday 8:00 pm
(results show)
2
11 January 18, 2012 21.93 Final Performances: May 22, 2012 14.85 2012 Wednesday 8:00 pm
(performance show)
2
Season Finale: May 23, 2012 21.49 Thursday 8:00 pm
(results show)
4

American Idol premiered in June 2002 and became the surprise summer hit show of 2002. The first show drew 9.9 million viewers, giving Fox the best viewing figure for the 8.30 pm spot in over a year. The audience steadily grew, and by finale night, the audience had averaged 23 million, with more than 40 million watching some part of that show. That episode was placed third amongst all age groups, but more importantly it led in the 18–49 demographic, the age group most valued by advertisers.

The growth continued into the next season, starting with a season premiere of 26.5 million. The season attracted an average of 21.7 million viewers, and was placed second overall amongst the 18–49 age group. The finale night when Ruben Studdard won over Clay Aiken was also the highest-rated ever American Idol episode at 38.1 million for the final hour. By season three, the show had become the top show in the 18–49 demographic a position it has held for all subsequent years up to and including season ten. By season four, American Idol had become the most watched series amongst all viewers on American TV, with an average viewership of 26.8 million. The show reached its peak in season five with numbers averaging 30.6 million.

Season six started with some the most watched ever episodes of American Idol, and many television executives had by then begun to regard the show as a programming force unlike any seen before, as its consistent dominance of up to two hours two or three nights a week exceeded the 30- or 60-minute reach of previous hits such as The Cosby Show. The show was dubbed "the Death Star", and competing networks often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses. However, season six also showed a steady decline in viewership over the course of the season. The season finale saw a drop in ratings of 16% from the previous year.

The loss of viewers continued into season seven. The premiere was down 11% among total viewers, and the results show in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated delivered its lowest-rated Wednesday show among the 18–34 demo since the first season in 2002. However, the ratings rebounded for the season seven finale with the excitement over the battle of the Davids, and improved over season six as the third most watched finale. The strong finish of season seven also helped Fox become the most popular TV network for the first time since its inception. Overall ratings for the season were down 10% from season six, General attrition of television audiences may be a reason for this ratings decline, which is in line with the fall in viewership across all networks due in part to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.

The declining trend however continued into season eight, as total viewers numbers fell by 5–10% for early episodes compared to season seven, and by 9% for the finale. In season nine, Idol's six-year extended streak of perfection in the ratings was broken, when NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 17 beat Idol in the same time slot with 30.1 million viewers over Idol's 18.4 million. Nevertheless, American Idol finished its ninth season as the most watched TV series for the sixth year running, breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS' All in the Family and NBC's The Cosby Show.

In season ten, the total viewer numbers for the first week of shows fell 12–13%, and by up to 23% in the 18–49 demo compared to season nine. Later episodes, however, retained viewers better, and by Top 8, the season-to-date total viewership was up from Season 9. The season ended on a high with a significant increase in viewership for the finale – up 12% for the adults 18–49 demo and a 21% increase in total viewers from the season nine finale. While the overall viewer number has increased this season, its viewer demographics have continued to age year on year – the median age this season was 47.2 compared to a median age of 32.1 in its first season.

Season eleven, however, suffered a steep drop in ratings, a drop attributed by some to the arrival of new shows such as The Voice and The X-Factor. The ratings for the first two episodes of season eleven fell 16–21% in overall viewer numbers and 24–27% in the 18/49 demo. The season eleven finale was seen by 21.5 million viewers and had a 6.4 demo rating, representing in a drop of 30% year-over-year. The average viewership for the season fell below 20 million viewers the first time since 2003, a drop of 23% in total viewers and 30% in the 18/49 demo. For the first time in eight years, American Idol lost the leading position in both the total viewers number and the 18/49 demo, coming in second to NBC Sunday Night Football.

Read more about this topic:  American Idol

Famous quotes containing the word television:

    Photographs may be more memorable than moving images because they are a neat slice of time, not a flow. Television is a stream of underselected images, each of which cancels its predecessor. Each still photograph is a privileged moment, turned into a slim object that one can keep and look at again.
    Susan Sontag (b. 1933)