TV ratings: ‘American Idol’ Night 2 down as NBC comedies drop
As expected, the second night of “American Idol’s” 13th season premiere was down in the ratings from last year, though it was still the top-rated show of the night on the major broadcast networks.
Thursday night’s “Idol” drew an average of 13.4-million viewers and a rating of 3.9 in the advertiser-desired 18-to-49 demographic, according to preliminary numbers from Nielsen. Compared with the same episode last year, viewership for “Idol” was down about 17%, while the rating for young adults fell 30%. The episode’s overall audience also shrank 12% from Wednesday night’s premiere.
The results mark a continuation of the veteran singing contest’s decline from its premiere peak in 2007 when the second night averaged nearly 37 million viewers. Fox, with judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr., hope to win back viewers who tuned out last year as superstars Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey frequently sparred on screen.
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Nevertheless, “Idol” was easily the highest-rated broadcast show Thursday night against soft competition from ABC, CBS and NBC. CBS’ much-watched comedy lineup — anchored by “The Big Bang Theory” — showed all reruns.
NBC’s comedies were down across the board against the competition from “Idol,” starting with the rebooted “Community,” which drew 3.17-million viewers and fell 21% week-to-week to a 1.1 in 18-to-49. “Parks and Recreation” and “Sean Saves the World” both sank 20% to a 1.2 and 0.8, respectively, followed by a new low from “The Michael J. Fox Show” (0.6 in the demo). “Parenthood” tied a rerun of “Shark Tank” on ABC at a 1.2 for the best rating in the time slot.
ABC’s “The Taste” averaged 3.24-million people watching and 0.9 demo rating, representing a 31% dip among young adults.
The CW’s “Critics’ Choice Movie Awards” nabbed its biggest audience since 2006 with 1.96-million viewers overall, up 4% from last year. Its pull with 18-to-49-year-olds wasn’t as great though, and its rating fell 33% to a 0.4.
[UPDATE: This post has been updated to reflect final time-zone adjusted numbers from Nielsen.]
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