Though the full story will not be available until the fast nationals release at around noon Eastern, the early word on “American Idol”‘s season ten premiere is cautiously positive.
The show scored an overnight metered market rating of a 16.4, marking a decline of 11% from last season’s premiere. Insofar as a drop appeared inevitable due to the age-induced weakness “American Idol” began showing at the end of last season, an 11% decline, especially one that could not prevent “Idol” from doubling the overnight numbers of its competition, hardly makes for upsetting news.
“Idol” supporters should still approach the data with caution. If the 16.4 the mark from which “Idol” will begin its usual ratings trajectory, the news is fine. If, however, that 16.4 was inflated due to curiosity in the new judging panel of Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, the “real” drop was masked Tuesday and some less exciting news could be on the horizon.
On the plus side, the show adhered to its usual trend of growing significantly from start-to-finish (it opened with a 15.0 rating for 8-8:30PM and improved to a 17.0 for 9:30-10PM).
The performance Thursday will provide an additional degree of clarity about how the show might track this season, although Thursday numbers will not offer an ideal year-to-year comparison (past seasons, which featured “Idol” in a far more buzzworthy state, experienced relative ratings weakness for special Thursday airings). A true verdict on the show’s state might not be available until it enters the live competition rounds.
Ratings Source: Mediaweek