‘America’s Got Talent,’ but fewer want to see it
Well, so much for the SuBo effect.
The fourth season of “America’s Got Talent” bowed on NBC Tuesday night, and despite predictions from creator Simon Cowell and others that the show’s ratings would dazzle thanks to “Britain’s Got Talent” phenom Susan Boyle (“SuBo” to the British tabloids), the numbers dropped.
An average of 11.3 million viewers tuned in to the two-hour premiere, according to early data from Nielsen Media Research. That was a 12% dip compared with last year’s season opener and the show’s worst-ever premiere number. Among the crucial category of adults ages 18 to 49, “America’s Got Talent” fared even worse, off 14% compared with last year.
Of course, “Talent’s” numbers probably would have been much higher had Boyle actually appeared on the program -- something the producers have hinted may happen this season. And then part of the problem might have stemmed from the lead-in: “I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!” has cooled even further since the Heidi and Spencer melodrama has subsided, and on Tuesday, the show delivered an anemic 4.3 million viewers and its lowest tally among adults 18 to 49.
“America’s Got Talent” was the night’s most-watched show, but it ran opposite weak competition. ABC’s summer reality lineup continued to wither with the premiere of “The Superstars” (4.4 million), while CBS stuck with repeats.
--
