'American Idol'
gets a bump from Ellen
Averages a 10.1 in adults 18-49, up 13 percent
By Toni Fitzgerald
Feb 10, 2010
Ellen DeGeneres' "American Idol" debut pumped Fox's hit reality show to its best performance since its premiere among younger viewers last night.
"Idol" averaged 27.7 million total viewers at 8 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, its top outing since 29.9 million tuned in to last month's debut episode.
The show averaged a 10.1 adults 18-49 rating, up 13 percent over last week's 8.9 and up 1 percent over the first Hollywood round episode last year.
The boost was undoubtedly courtesy of DeGeneres, who replaced Paula Abdul at the judges' table. The show had been using a rotating roster of guest judges for the audition phase, but DeGeneres will be on the panel going forward.
Her hiring last summer sparked some controversy, since she does not have a singing background, and reaction was mixed on "Idol" message boards yesterday and this morning. Many people liked her, but others pledged to tune out of the show as long as she remains.
There was also mixed reaction to another new thing on Fox. Despite the huge "Idol" lead-in, the sneak preview of drama "Past Life" slipped to fourth in the 9 p.m. timeslot, losing more than two-thirds of "Idol's" audience. It averaged a 3.1 18-49 rating.
Meanwhile, ABC's "Lost" held up decently in its second outing, slipping from last week's debut but still ahead of the equivalent episode last year.
"Lost" won the 9 p.m. hour with a 4.9 adults 18-49 rating, down 11 percent from last week's premiere but up 11 percent from last year.
Fox led the night among 18-49s with a 6.6 average overnight rating and a 16 share. CBS was second at 3.8/10, NBC third at 3.0/8, ABC fourth at 2.9/7, Univision fifth at 1.6/4 and the CW sixth at 0.3/1.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-four percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
Fox was first at 8 p.m. with a 10.1 for “Idol,” followed by CBS with a 4.1 for “NCIS.” NBC was third with a 3.0 for “The Biggest Loser,” ABC fourth with a 1.7 for a repeat of “Lost,” Univision fifth with a 1.4 for “Hasta que el Dinero Nos Separe” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for a repeat of “90210.”
At 9 p.m. ABC took the lead with a 4.9 for “Lost,” while CBS and NBC tied for second at 4.0, CBS for “NCIS: Los Angeles” and NBC for more “Loser.” Fox was fourth with a 3.1 for “Past Life,” Univision fifth with a 2.0 for “Sortilegio” and CW sixth with a 0.3 for a “Melrose Place” rerun.
CBS took its turn on top at 10 p.m. with a 3.1 for “The Good Wife,” up 19 percent from last week, with ABC second with a 2.0 for “The Forgotten.” NBC was third with a 1.8 for the series finale of “The Jay Leno Show” and Univision fourth with a 1.3 for “Aqui y Ahora.”
Among households, CBS was first for the night with a 10.7 average overnight rating and a 17 share. Fox was second at 10.1/15, NBC third at 5.0/8, ABC fourth at 4.5/7, Univision fifth at 2.1/3 and CW sixth at 0.6/1.
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