Categories: Entertainment News

“American Idol” Wins Ratings War Against Winter Olympics, “Lost”

After all the hype regarding Tuesday’s ratings battle between “American Idol” and the 2010 Winter Olympics, when push came to shove, the competition ended up fairly one-sided.

Though it took a slight hit from last week’s numbers, “American Idol” proved quite resilient in battling NBC’s sports coverage, averaging 23.64 million viewers and a 9.1 adults 18-49 rating.

During the head-to-head portion from 8PM to 10PM, the Olympics averaged only 19.74 million viewers with a 5.1 rating in the demo. Not even the inclusion of the relatively-uncontested 10PM hour, which brings the Olympics broadcast average up to a 5.4 with 20.41 million viewers, was enough to get the Games on the radar of the dominant “Idol.”

Compared to Monday’s fast nationals, Tuesday’s Olympics coverage was down 20% in total viewers and 25% in the demo. “Idol” was down 15% in total viewers and 10% in the demo from last Tuesday’s airing.

Despite the heavy competition from FOX and NBC, ABC’s “Lost” was fairly stable with a 4.5 and 9.79 million viewers. Lead-out “the forgotten” was not so successful, however, posting a 1.7 with 5.05 million viewers.

Brian Cantor

Brian Cantor is the editor-in-chief for Headline Planet. He has been a leading reporter in the music, movie, television and sporting spaces since 2002. Brian's reporting has been cited by major websites like BuzzFeed, Billboard, the New Yorker and The Fader -- and shared by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. Contact Brian at brian.cantor[at]headlineplanet.com.

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Brian Cantor