Update: Wednesday’s “Empire” premiere did not simply retain its “American Idol” lead-in; it outdrew the one-time reality juggernaut in the adults 18-49 demographic.
FOX’s freshman drama opened with a strong 3.8 adults 18-49 rating. “Idol,” which led into “Empire,” drew a 3.2.
Not simply the winner on FOX, “Empire” was Wednesday’s top overall program in adults 18-49. It also ranked as the night’s best performer in adults 18-34 (2.9) and adults 25-54 (4.2).
Despite beating “Idol” in the core young adults demographics, “Empire” did not defeat the competition series in total viewership. “Idol” drew an audience of 11.20 million, while “Empire” attracted 9.90 million.
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“American Idol” did not provide the lead-in support it would have several years ago, but FOX’s new drama “Empire” retained a sizable portion of the boost it did receive.
The drama, which Headline Planet called “not great, but ‘good enough’,” premiered to a healthy 6.9 overnight household rating.
Enough for a timeslot victory in the overnight households (and potentially one in adults 18-49 and total viewership), the number trails that of its “Idol” lead-in by only 12%.
A more detailed report, which will include the aforementioned adults 18-49 and overnight data, is due by noon.
