QUICK TAKES - Jan. 16, 2009

The second installment of Fox’s “American Idol” held up better than expected, averaging 29.8 million viewers over two hours, down just 2% compared with last season.

The results for Wednesday night’s telecast were somewhat surprising because “Idol’s” Tuesday premiere was, with 30.4 million viewers, down 9% compared with the previous year and represented the show’s lowest number for a season opener since 2004.

Why did the Wednesday “Idol” fare better, at least in percentage comparison terms, than Tuesday’s? Part of the explanation is competition. On Tuesday, “Idol” faced off against two of CBS’ most-popular series, “NCIS” and “The Mentalist.” But on Wednesday, it was working against the less-watched “Criminal Minds” (14 million). Meanwhile, ABC, in preparation for the upcoming “Lost” season premiere, ran an entire night of “Lost” repeats, averaging just 4.5 million total viewers.

-- Scott Collins