According to the Nielsen rating's report, the premiere of Fox's AMERICAN IDOL Season 11 drew 21.6 million total viewers and a 7.2 demo rating, dropping 18 percent and 26 percent from last season's opener. In addition, the all-important 18 - 49 year-old demographic fell below last year's season avaerage of 8.0, which marks the show's steepest decline from one season to the next.
Despite disappointing numbers, Idol continued to be the number one show for its time slot, beating out all of its competition in the 8:00 - 9:00 pm hour.
NBC's freshman series Are You There, Chelsea? was hit hardest, followed by ABC's Modern Family and Happy Endings. ABC's Revenge showed a slight gain in ratings, although it did not have to compete against the Fox juggernaut.
AMERICAN IDOL continues its debut tonight with additional auditions from Pittsburgh. The show will air from 8:00 - 9:00 pm/ET on the Fox network.
Videos