Ratings News: The Final Numbers

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.  

When I first reported declines  in early March, the mainstream media blamed them on Daylight Savings Time starting 3 weeks earlier.   But, the high ratings early on followed by precipitous drops, indicated that something else was going on.    What went wrong?   That answer is an entirely different post. Let’s just say, TPTB needs to bring the  focus back  on what makes the show irresistable TV–the kids–their backstories and their  struggle to advance in the competition.

Nevertheless,  American Idol pulled in huge numbers by any standards.   Wednesday’s edition came in as the #1 show of the season with Tuesday’s edition following at #2.

Fox won the season, thanks to Idol. According to  Variety,  “Fox ended up winning the season by the largest margin of any net in five seasons, with its 4.0 rating among adults 18-49 topping CBS (3.7) by 8%, according to Nielsen.”

About mj santilli 34841 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!