A Question Answered (for now)

In my blog post that preceded the Idol reboot, I asked five questions. Here is my answer to the first one (for now).

Will anybody watch?

Here are the ratings to date:

Sunday, March 11 Premiere: 2.3 rating[1]/10.3m viewers

Monday, March 12: 1.8/8.4m viewers

Sunday, March 18: 1.8/7.7m viewers (up against NCAAs)

Monday, March 19: 1.6/7.7m viewers

Sunday, March 25: 1.7/7.4m viewers (up against Stormy Daniels 60 Minutes interview, NCAAs)

Monday, March 26: 1.6/7.7m viewers

Sunday, April 1: 1.6/7.4m viewers (up against Jesus Christ Superstar)

In terms of ranking, Idol was #5 each of its first two weeks and #10 in its third week when it had to contend with the Stormy Daniels interview and four NCAA games. It endures as one of America’s favorite shows.

A reasonable person would have to conclude that, yes, people are watching and just like the Survivor and The Bachelor franchises (similarly ranked and rated shows), there is a consistently dedicated block of viewers. Still, the slight downward ticks in 18-49 ratings are worth watching. Is it the competing special events or is it a trend? Ratings for the upcoming live shows will be interesting.

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[1] Ratings = % of viewers ages 18-49 watching the broadcast, i.e. the age group being targeted by ads