Published by mj May 18th, 2008
in American Idol and Ratings.
The Nielsen company recently sent out a compilation of it’s American Idol research to the press. I thought I’d round up a few of the interesting factoids here for fun.
A few of my observations: Notice that popularity online doesn’t necessarily translate to popularity with the voters. Also, American Idol has an audience that skews a bit older with 29% of the total audience between the ages of 35-49. The tweaks for next year promised by FOX executives at the upfronts will surely include attempts to woo back younger viewers. No wonder Simon Cowell wants to lower the audition age to 14. The ratings chart of viewers by geographical region explains why the American Idol tour avoids the central-west region year after year–the show isn’t nearly as popular there as it is in the East and Pacific Northwest. My updated ratings chart.
Check out the list after the Jump…
Continue reading ‘Fun Facts from Nielsen Media’
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Published by mj February 22nd, 2008
in American Idol and Ratings.
Nielsen Overnights from Mediaweek:
The first live American Idol results show opened the evening with a hefty 23.17 million viewers and an 8.4 rating/21 share among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m. Comparably, that clobbered CBS’ still potent Survivor: Micronesia (Viewers: #2, 12.55 million; A18-49: #2, 4.0/10) by whopping 10.62 million viewers and 110 percent in the demo. If you are not watching this Micronesia edition, you are missing a truly addictive edition of the veteran franchise. As for American Idol, three of the four people I personally picked were eliminated: Joanne Borgella, Amy Davis and Garrett Haley. The fourth was Colton Berry, who nasty Simon told straight out that he had no future as a singer. Nice guy, isn’t he?
Season 6, final results from the same night: 24.4 million viewers and a 9.0 rating/23 share among adults 18-49.
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Published by mj February 21st, 2008
in American Idol and Ratings.
From Mediaweek:
With American Idol on board there is no stopping Fox, which beat the four competing networks combined on this February sweeps Wednesday (does anyone even know this is a sweeps period?). American Idol averaged a stellar 28.67 million viewers and an 11.1 rating/27 share from 8-10 p.m., with the half hour breakdown as follows:
American Idol (Fox)
8:00 p.m. Viewers: 25.18 million, A18-49: 9.5/25
8:30 p.m. Viewers: 28.48 million, A18-49: 11.0/26
9:00 p.m. Viewers: 30.64 million, A18-49: 12.0/28
9:30 p.m. Viewers: 30.37 million, A18-49: 11.9/28
As for this first night of female competition, my picks to get the boot tonight: Joanne Borgella and Amy Davis.
Last year’s Top 12 girls final ratings: 30.5 million viewers and an 13.3 rating/31 share from 8-10 p.m.
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Published by mj February 20th, 2008
in American Idol and Ratings.
From Mediaweek:
Fox stood well above the Tuesday competition, with a two-hour edition of American Idol averaging a hefty 28.84 million viewers and an 11.2 rating/27 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that outdelivered the four competing networks combined. As for the initial 12 male performers, Jason Yeager and Leif Garrett look-alike Garrett Haley would we wise to start packing. The best of the bunch (and the early favorites): teen David Archuleta and 29-year old Michael Johns.
For a rough comparison, Season 6 final numbers for the Top 12 Guys: 29.5 million viewers and an 11.8 rating/30 share among adults 18-49.
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Published by mj February 14th, 2008
in American Idol and Ratings.
From Mediaweek:
It was another slam-dunk midweek victory for Fox care of American Idol (Viewers: 24.59 million; A18-49: 9.8 rating/25 share) and the top-rated new series of the season, game show The Moment of Truth (Viewers: 14.47 million; A18-49: 6.2/16). Once again, Fox outdelivered the four competing networks combined among adults 18-49. But keep in mind that part of the average for The Moment of Truth included the last few minutes of American Idol. As for Idol, too bad Josiah did not make the final cut. Hopefully, he will find a way to get to the auditions again next year.
Aw, another disappointed Josiah fan! Marc Berman should check out Josiah’s MySpace. Heh.
Last year’s final Nielsen numbers for the reveal episode: 28.9 million; A18-49: 12.1/29.
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Published by mj February 7th, 2008
in American Idol, Ratings and Season 7.
Here they are:
It was another slam-dunk midweek victory for Fox care of American Idol (Viewers: 26.02 million; A18-49: 10.5 rating/26 share) and the oddly addictive Moment of Truth (Viewers: 16.89 million; A18-49: 7.2/18), which is not a game show you want to participate in if you have any skeletons in your closet. Retention for Moment of Truth out of American Idol was an acceptable 65 percent in total viewers and 69 percent among adults 18-49.
For a rough comparison, last year’s final numbers for the Best of the Rest episode: 27.9 million 12.0/27 A18-49
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Published by mj February 6th, 2008
in American Idol and Ratings.
From Mediaweek:
The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data)
-Total Viewers:
Fox: 25.52 million, NBC: 7.16, CBS: 6.12, ABC: 5.26, CW: 2.36
-Adults 18-49:
Fox: 10.1 rating/24 share, NBC: 2.8/ 7, CBS: 1.5/ 4, ABC: 1.4/ 3, CW: 1.0/ 2Led by American Idol, and opposite a schedule populated with Super Tuesday Election Coverage, dominant Fox beat the four networks combined by 5.43 million viewers and 51 percent among adults 18-49. American Idol opened the evening with 27.79 million viewers and an 11.2 rating/28 share among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m., followed by House at a very compatible 23.24 million viewers and a 9.0/21 in the demo at 9 p.m.
However, Idol continues to slip compared to Season 6:
American Idol opened the evening with a 16.2 rating/24 share at 8 p.m. (16 percent below the year-ago overnight results: 19.3/28 on Feb. 6, 2007).
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Published by mj February 3rd, 2008
in American Idol and Ratings.
This week’s Nielsen Overnights:
On Tuesday, American Idol scored 28.1 million viewers with a 11.0 rating and a 27 share in adults 18-49. On Wednesday, Idol scored 25.3 million viewers with a 9.9 rating and a 26 share in adults 18-49.
Interesting tidbit:
The beatdown that FOX continues to put on all other broadcast networks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays these days is impressive. FOX is almost averaging more viewers than all of the other broadcast networks combined.
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Published by mj January 26th, 2008
in American Idol, Ratings and Season 7.
Here are the overnight Nielsen ratings for Wednesdays’ show, featuring the Charleston auditions.
On Wednesday’s ratings:
…”Idol” (26.8 million, 10.8/28) dominated the 8 p.m. hour; only NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” (13.8 million, 3.7/10) could muster any ratings against it in its 10-month high in the time period. Against “Truth,” only CBS’ “Criminal Minds” (12.9 million, 3.2/8) was somewhat successful against it.
I’ve started a ratings chart for Season 7. These numbers are final, and may differ slightly from the Nielsen overnights. Final numbers can be found at TV Week and the Nielsen website. Have fun comparing and contrasting Season 7 to Season 6 and Season 5!
Interesting, Idol’s Wednesday edition was the lead in for a new reality show called Moment of Truth. Truth kept 94% of the Idol auditions audience. Moment Of Truth had an average audience of 23.2 million.
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Published by mj January 23rd, 2008
in American Idol, Ratings and Season 7.
The fast overnights are in, and while American Idol dominated the night per usual, the ratings are still down compared to last year:
Fox dominated, of course, on this American Idol-populated Tuesday. In the very distant No. 2 spot was NBC, followed by CBS, ABC and the CW.
American Idol stood well above any Tuesday series, with a hefty 29.05 million viewers and an 11.7 rating/29 share among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. But comparably, that was a loss of 4.60 million viewers and 13 percent among adults 18-49 from the year-ago telecast (Viewers: 33.65 million; A18-49: 13.5/33 on Jan. 30, 2007).
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Published by mj January 17th, 2008
in American Idol, Ratings and Season 7.
From Mediaweek:
Once again it was a robust victory for Fox care of American Idol, which averaged a 17.6 rating/26 share in the overnights from 8-10 p.m. But compared to one year earlier (21.6/31 on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007), that was a decline of 19 percent. Keep this in mind as the season progresses.
We’ll see if the ratings increase if this Season picks up some steam…
UPDATE:
Once again it was a robust victory for Fox care of American Idol, which averaged 30.28 million viewers and a 12.6 rating/30 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. But compared to one year earlier (Viewers: 36.94 million; A18-49: 15.5 rating/36 share on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007), that was a decline of 6.66 million viewers and 19 percent among adults 18-49. Keep this in mind as the season progresses.
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Published by mj January 16th, 2008
in American Idol, Ratings, S7 Audition Eps and Season 7.
From Mediaweek’s Programming Insider:
As expected, it was a huge overnight victory for Fox on this third Tuesday of 2008, with the seventh season-premiere of American Idol at an 18.6 rating/27 share from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that outdelivered the second highest rated show of the evening, CBS’ NCIS (10.2/15), by a hefty 82 percent. But year-to-year, American Idol actually dipped by 15 percent from its sixth season-opener on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007 (21.8/31). So, at this point it is safe to say that American Idol has officially peaked.
I’ll post more specific numbers as they come in…
UPDATE:
As expected, it was a huge victory for Fox on this third Tuesday of 2008, with the seventh season-premiere of American Idol at a hefty 33.24 million viewers and a 13.8 rating/32 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that more than doubled the second most-watched show of the evening, CBS’ NCIS (Viewers: 15.91 million). But year-to-year, American Idol actually dipped by 4.20 million viewers and 13 percent among adults 18-49 from its sixth season-opener on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007 (Viewers: 37.44 million; A18-49: 15.8/36). So, at this point it is safe to say that American Idol has officially peaked.
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Published by mj October 4th, 2007
in American Idol, News and Ratings.
Despite Season 6 ratings dropping below Season 5’s, American Idol’s ad rates for the upcoming season are staying about the same as last year:
For the fourth consecutive season, Fox’s American Idol is network TV’s highest priced regular series for advertisers. The cost of a 30-second unit for upcoming episodes (which begin in January 2008) is $700,000 for both the Monday [sic] and Tuesday installments of the program, according to media buying and network sources. The cost for the Monday installment is roughly in line with last year, while the Tuesday time slot is commanding a slightly higher rate, those sources said.
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Published by mj June 3rd, 2007
in American Idol and Ratings.
My Season 6 ratings chart is complete. As predicted, the final Nielsen numbers for Wednesday’s finale were adjusted upward to include the 9 minutes the show ran after the 10 pm hour. According to Variety, “Ratings peaked in the final nine minutes…with a 36 share in 18-49 and about 39.2 million viewers overall.” The average ratings for the night were 30.7 million viewers and an 11.5 rating/31 share in adults 18-49, down 15% from Season 5’s finale ratings of 36.3 million viewers with a 14.2 rating/35 share in the key demo.
25.3 million viewers (3.7/12 share) tuned in for Tuesday’s Final 2 show, down 21% from Season 5’s Final, which had 32 million viewers and a 12.3/34 share.
It’s interesting to note that Season 6 started with 37.4 million viewers for it’s Minneapolis Auditions premiere, the highest ratings ever clocked for an Idol episode. According to the Hollywood Reporter back in January, The first five episodes of Season 6 were up 10% over the first five Season 5 telecasts in overall viewership. Continue reading ‘Ratings News: The Final Numbers’
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Published by mj May 13th, 2007
in American Idol and Ratings.
Updated ratings chart here.
Tuesday’s preliminary ratings from Variety:
According to same-day Nielsen nationals for Tuesday, the performance edition of “American Idol” kicked off the night a big winner for Fox (9.3 rating/28 share in adults 18-49, 25.47 million viewers overall)…
Variety notes the ratings drop from last year:
…but came in 20% lower than its demo rating of the same night a year ago (11.3/31).
Dissatisfaction with this year’s finalists could be partly to blame, although it could be that even TV’s No. 1 show isn’t immune to the spring swoon that has seen a wide swath of hits — including “CSI,” “Heroes” and “Desperate Housewives” — lose a sizeable number of viewers since daylight-saving time started.
Last year’s viewers numbered 28.8 million for the same night.
Wednesday’s preliminary ratings:
“Idol”…ruled from 9 to 10 with its results show (10.5/27 in 18-49, 27.4 million viewers overall), roughly matching the combined demo delivery of the next four highest-rated nets.
The same night last year: 11.2/27 in 18-49, 27.8 million. A 1% drop–not so bad.
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Published by mj May 6th, 2007
in American Idol and Ratings.
This week’s Top 6 results show saw another week of huge voting totals–65 million votes–made possible at least in part by a 4-hour voting voting window.
Ratings continue to be lower in comparison to Season 5. However, ratings are down for popular shows across the board.
Tuesday’s ratings:
“Idol,” which featured the final six contestants perform, averaged 25.8 million viewers and a 9.7 rating/28 share among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m., according to preliminary Nielsen estimates.
The ratings dropped 10% from last season’s comparable show–the Top 5 performance show, which averaged 28.6 million viewers and a 11.4/31.
Wednesday’s ratings:
“Idol” was the night’s top show in viewership (28.1 million) and adults 18-49 (10.8 rating/27 share), according to preliminary estimates released Thursday by Nielsen Media Research. Nothing else was even close on the broadcast networks.
There was a 4% drop between last year’s Top 5 results show, which averaged 29.2 million viewers and a 11.7 rating/28 share and this year’s Top 6 results show.
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Published by mj April 28th, 2007
in American Idol and Ratings.
This week’s preliminary Nielsen ratings
Tuesday:
“Idol” averaged 25.6 million viewers and a 9.6 rating/27 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by Nielsen Media Research. It was the top show in both key ratings measures, though it was down compared with last week (26.5 million, 10.2/28).
Despite the hype surrounding this week’s Idol Gives Back charity fundraiser, Tuesday’s ratings were down 3% from last week, and down 10% from last year (28.6 million viewers and a 11.5/30 share).
Wednesday:
“Idol” averaged 26.4 million viewers and a 10 rating/26 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary data released Thursday by Nielsen Media Research. It rose from 21.6 million viewers at 8 p.m. to a peak of 30.2 million at 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s Idol Gives Back overall ratings were down 9 % from last week’s results show (28.9 million viewers and a 11.2/28 share) and down 6 % from last year’s Top 6 results show (28.2 million viewers and a 11.6/28 share).
Vote Totals
The voting totals were up 47% this year (70 million) from last year’s Top 6 results total of 47.5 million. This year, viewers’ votes were matched 10 cents per call by News Corp–giving fans an incentive to vote more than usual. The voting window was 4 hours, twice as long as last year’s 2 hours.
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Published by mj April 21st, 2007
in American Idol and Ratings.
This week’s American Idol preliminary Nielsen ratings:
Tuesday’s ratings were down 3% from last week and 9% from Season 5 (28.4 million, 11.4/32):
“Idol” averaged 25.9 million viewers and a 9.9 rating/27 share in adults 18-49, outpacing anything else in the hour. It was down, however, week to week (26.8 million, 10.3/29).
Wednesday’s results show was down 1% from last week (28.6 million, 11.1/27) , but up 2% from the Season 5 Top 7 Results show. (27.6 million, 11.3/30) :
From 9 to 10 p.m., “American Idol” averaged a 10.9 rating/27 share in adults 18-49 and 28.2 million viewers overall, beating the next five highest-rated nets combined in most categories.
Ryan didn’t mention the vote totals during last year’s Top 7 Results show. This year, Ryan announced there were more than 38 million votes, up 9% from last week’s 35 million.
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Published by mj April 14th, 2007
in American Idol and Ratings.
TV Week reports that American Idol’s Tuesday night preliminary numbers were its lowest Tuesday 18-49 rating in two years.
Here are the preliminary numbers:
Tuesday
According to preliminary nationals from Nielsen, “American Idol” (10.0 rating/28 share in adults 18-49, 26.0 million viewers overall) dominated the 8 o’clock hour and was the night’s top program even though it’s expected to come in about 15% below the same night a year ago. “House,” by contrast, was up slightly year to year, averaging an 8.7/22 in 18-49 and 21.6 million viewers overall).
Wednesday
“American Idol” drove Fox to another nightly win Wednesday as an average of 27.9 million viewers tuned in to see the sendoff of finalist Haley Scarnato and a live performance by Jennifer Lopez for a 10.9 rating/26 share among adults 18-49, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers.
It was an up-and-down night with “Idol” significantly improving from its season low in the 18-49 demo last week.
Note that Wednesday night’s numbers were up 6% from the night before, and up 19% from last year’s Top 8 Results show, which only pulled in 22.6 million viewers with a 9.2 rating/24 share. Reader Kirsten (thanks!) noted in comments that last year’s Top 8 results show started a half hour earlier than usual. The ratings rose to normal levels during the second half hour.
Ryan did not mention vote totals during last year’s Top 8 results show. This year, Ryan said that more than 35 million people voted–the highest totals for the year so far.
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