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'American Idol' finale ratings lowest since Season 1
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The crowning of this season's "American Idol" was seen by fewer people than any finale since the show's first season.Wednesday's (May 26) finale, which crowned Lee DeWyze as this year's winner, scored 24.2 million viewers and an 8.2 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic. (That's up slightly from the fast nationals, which didn't take into account the portion that aired after 10 p.m.) The adults 18-49 rating is the finale's lowest ever by a good margin, and it's down 18 percent from the 10.0 the 2009 finale posted.
In viewers, the finale drew a smaller crowd than any since the show's first season ender in September 2002, which attracted 22.8 million people. Wednesday's show was off about 16 percent from last year's "Idol" coronation.
The downward trend is longer in the 18-49 demographic. Since reaching a high mark of 14.2 at the end of Season 5 (when Taylor Hicks beat Katharine McPhee), the finale's demo numbers have declined each year: 11.5 in 2007, 11.4 in '08, 10.0 last year and now Wednesday's 8.2. The finale also peaked in viewers (36.4 million) that year; since then it's drawn 30.7 million ('07), 31.7 million ('08), 28.8 million ('09) and this year's 24.2 million.
DVR numbers will bump the finale up somewhat, but given the average gains the show has made so far this season -- about 8 percent in viewers and 10 percent in the 18-49 demo -- it's not likely to move up the rankings.
For the season as a whole, "Idol" shed about 9 percent of its total audience and 10 percent in adults 18-49. The line from FOX is that those are expected declines for a show in its ninth season, and it's still far and away the most-watched series on television. But it's not quite the universe-dominating hit it used to be.
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Photo credit: FOX
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Good. Hope one day it gets canceled now with Simson gone.
Well of course a show is going to lose popularity when no-talent individuals such as Fantasia and Taylor Hicks win. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are the only good Idol winners the rest of the talent were from further down the ranks of the top 12.
American Idol 2010 = EPIC FAIL
Idol only has a season or two left
in it, after that it will become clear that FOX is to afraid to let this show go. Because when its
gone, FOX might fall off the radar again. 24 is over, Idol is
falling in viewership, and FOX
doesn't have any other hits. And
FOX is getting to a point where they don't know what to do with Idol anymore to keep it fresh.
One of the biggest issues with Idol, is that every season we seem to hear the exact same songs or type of songs, after 9 seasons
its gotten boring.
Wt that Pig Janet, FLOPTina and Kara, ofcourse the show will fail.
Another possibility--the finale's ratings may be down because the tweens who voted Lee in aren't allowed to stay up that late.
I'm hoping the departure of Simon, even if they get some high-powered replacement like Elton John, will mark the end. The show has been around for too long and has been responsible for too many good scripted shows being killed off in competition. Maybe MTV can pick the show up or something. Momma Duke makes a good point that Fox might be scared of losing it. But if they freed up those timeslots for some quality scripted shows, or made them available for established shows like Fringe to expand their audience, they could end up with an NCIS or CSI-sized hit.
Didn't the Season Two finale draw 38 million?
I love American Idol. I will
miss Simon.....Last night when
it was announced that Lee won I
actually stood up and applauded.
Wow! just me and my sleeping
husband but I didn't care. WOW
way to go Lee you deserved to win.
You could tell that he really
appreciated winning.
Crystal will have her own career.
She will do fine.
X_Factor arrives just in time.