Amerian Idol Ratings Continue to Falter

Fox, of course, ruled Tuesday care of American Idol, which averaged 24.21 million viewers and an 8.9 rating/23 share from 8-10 p.m.

That’s only a slight drop from last week’s show (24.25 million and an 8.9 rating/23 share.

Still, it is a 15% drop since last year.

How did it pick up nearly 4.5 million viewers betwen 8 and 9 pm?

When do final ratings come out? Have they been higher than overnight ratings or lower?

:shock_tb:

Whoa.

Things might start to pick up with the start of the top 12. Maybe people are just sitting out the semis this year.

I wish I had sat out the semi’s this year! Whoo whooo – I still know just about nothing about any that were put thru

For reference, I checked where we were this time last season and it was the night we got Jason’s Hallelujah, David C.’s Hello, and David A.’s Another Day in Paradise, and a general sense that the boys were better than the girls…so the season storylines were starting to take shape already.

while most shows on tv are down this year, i really think that people just don’t care about the contestants or the new format. i hope things pick up next week.

This format is not my favorite. I can’t get a handle on anyone so it almost seems like people are advancing at random. The judges favorites are also advancing but that happens every year.

The only reason I’m still watching is Adam. I’m genuinely curious to see what he does.

Can we blame the ratings on the economy and Wallstreet too? :help_tb:

^^welllll, you’d think more people are staying home to watch tv if money’s tight…

i remember last year being so excited about what was happening at this point in the season. now, i still almost feel like we haven’t even gotten into the season yet. we still don’t know these contestants other than what the producers have spoon-fed us in packaging bits.

maybe kara would know what taylor is like when she goes shopping if this was different. (lamest critique ever)

Sad, considering CBS shows (NCIS and The Mentalist) were reruns.

I’ve started watching a little bit, due solely to Adam and to see what he’ll do next. If he is the “shock boot” this year, they’ll lose at least one viewer. LOL Come to think of it, I’ve only *watched* him here. Maybe I’ll keep that up, as I do like NCIS and The Mentalist.

So much for “personalities” boosting ratings. If this trend continues, I wonder where Simon will pin the blame?

I used to be an Idol fanatic, but since season 5 I just cant get into it. Season 6 was so dull to me, season 7 somewhat better, and so far this season has sucked the most. Other then 2 singers this year, Im unimpressed so far. Im so tired of high pitched boy singers, I would like more like Bo or some guys with deeper voices for a change. I don’t like the 12 singer format, too long, dont like 4 judges, too long. For me, the singers this year are more like the earlier shows when I thought they all sounded pretty much the same and I didnt like it then either. I turned it over at 9 last night and watched a rerun.

None of the changes to the old format make the show more interesting nor compelling. As far as the talent, well it may just be that there are not as many good singer’s as compared to years past, especially last year. Simon was pretty blunt, but absolutely correct, when he recently said that there are way to many unattractive people on the show this year.

Aside from this format, maybe part of the problem is that they are not allowing videos of the contestants on youtube.

I think the problem is they started their modifications at the wrong place.
I don’t think the semi’s have been the problem.
The people have got tired during the long weeks of the Top12 with a lot of good, but also in the long run boring singers.
It is mostly the same every year.
I get where the personality aspect come from.
You have to find a way to bring in singers that interest people and can hold their attention for a short period or a longer time.

So much for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“personalitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  boosting ratings. If this trend continues, I wonder where Simon will pin the blame?

Simon will continue to blame the boring contestants and America for keeping them around. It’s not his fault Tatiana realized she looked like a loon and toned it down. It’s not his fault that Von took his advice and stopped screaming. It’s not his fault that he picks the semi-finalists each year and they turn out to be what he terms “boring”. In Simon’s mind, it’s never his fault.

Simon was pretty blunt, but absolutely correct, when he recently said that there are way to many unattractive people on the show this year.

IMO, Simon is wrong. That’s why Idol hires stylists for these kids. Some fairly homely looking auditioners have gone on to look fairly decent (e.g. David Cook last year was a huge trainwreck in the looks department, but the stylists managed to mold him into being somewhat video-friendly. I don’t find him attractive, but they were able to minimize the young-Homer-Simpson look he was sporting in thet auditions). Furthermore, singers are not movie stars. The primary importance is that they be able to sing and that makes them somehow magically attractive (as the saying goes, “Guys in bands get dates. Even ugly guys in bad bands”). Keith Richards has looked like an animated corpse for several decades, but he still manages to help move units, sell out concerts and get lots of hot booty.

Simon gets the big bucks for packaging people. It’s his job to find the stylists to dress them properly, hairdressers to do something with their hair, photographers to find their good side and photoshoppers to fix what’s left. If Paul Potts can win X-Factor and move a gazzillion units for Simon while looking like he was hit in the face with a shovel (sorry, Paul, you are no Paul Newman, but that’s okay, you seem like a nice guy), then Simon should have no problem marketting any of these kids.

Aside from this format, maybe part of the problem is that they are not allowing videos of the contestants on youtube.

That’s definitely not helping, I agree. YT is one of the biggest promotion platforms today, esp when it comes to music.

Simon was pretty blunt, but absolutely correct, when he recently said that there are way to many unattractive people on the show this year.

Last year’s group was quite attractive and the ratings still went down too. (Maybe not this much but…)
I think the show is just getting old, and this season is not really fascinating and quite bland. After so many performances there really isn’t one that everyone is talking about or searching on the web, there isn’t THAT performance. And I think that speaks for this season.

Kirsten :clap_tb: :clap_tb: to that whole post.

Every year, Simon blames the kids or the producers and never himself. This year, he got what he wanted. And it ain’t pretty.

He’s put through pretty chicks that sing only ok every year, and every year they are among the first to go. Only one conventionally pretty person has won idol… Carrie Underwood. And she had none of the “personality” Simon craves.

Despite the fact that Idol is well established as a family show, Simon chose to up the “drama” this year in a way that might drive away some of that demo. Then he pulls this stupid semis format out of his ass to create more “drama” and bored everyone to tears in the process.

Simon is an entertaining judge, but he is not the person who should call the shots on Idol. He has no sense of what works for an American audience. He is so annoying the crap out of me right now.

I just had to get that off my chest.

Kirsten, all I can say is WORD to your entire post. Well, most of it anyway. I totally disagree with your comment about DC’s attractiveness, but that’s perfectly okay. It just leaves more for me. :devil_tb:

I checked where we were this time last season and it was the night we got Jasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Hallelujah, David C.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Hello, and David A.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Another Day in Paradise

Aside from this format, maybe part of the problem is that they are not allowing videos of the contestants on youtube.

I was reading these two quotes together… and I realized, we really have gotten no water cooler moments after 3 weeks of semi’s this year (compared to Hello and Imagine to name the most obvious 2 from last year). I agree it’s a huge mistake to block the youtubes, because that helps build internet buzz and curious eyes towards this season… but then again, I can’t really think of a single performance so far that’s good enough to go viral. There’s been nothing interesting/good enough that I would personally send to non-Idol watching friends. Last season, there were a lot. I dunno, if pressed, I’d probably choose to pass along the Alex geeky guy’s performance for the hilarity… and maybe Norman Gentle’s schtick for the uninitiated… but nothing that was jaw-droppingly good. YMMV.

but then again, I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really think of a single performance so far thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s good enough to go viral. Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been nothing interesting/good enough that I would personally send to non-Idol watching friends.

Word. There were more interesting performances during Hollywood Week. I think most of these kids were too scared to death to really bring it. We might still get something during the Wildcard round though.

I would imagine the interns read MJ’s blog and are getting the message loud and clear. As far as watercooler moments, it is Adam’s performance along with his photos that are causing a bit of conversation. Then there’s…. um, well… maybe Scott?

Simon is so off base on everything this season. I see a proud ego driven man who will not admit his mistakes.

sma11ie: I understand what you’re saying that both David’s and Jason had very memorable performances this time last year. And one must think well how does youtube performances have anything to do with ratings? The answer is simple, the viewers on the West coast had a chance to view it before hand, and then decided to tune in and watch it on the big screen. And new viewers were drawn in because of the remarkable performances.

And if I remember correctly in season 6, Idol took down the videos on youtube as well. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

I guess I should say that making the videos available to the general public helps the fans get more invested in the contestants.

And I think Adam’s performance is worthy of being a youtube favorite solely because he is very unique.

I agree ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a huge mistake to block the youtubes, because that helps build internet buzz and curious eyes towards this seasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ but then again, I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really think of a single performance so far thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s good enough to go viral.

Even if there had been that kind of performance, if people tuned in because they wanted more, this year they wouldn’t have been able to see the same singer the next week! How is AI supposed to pick up viewers if the same people don’t perform week after week? If someone went into work last Wednesday morning raving about Allison’s performance and someone wanted to see her……..this week she did nothing but sit on a stool. Stupid!

I hope TPTB don’t take the falling ratings as a natural sign of attrition for an aging show. While some portion of it may be due to that, I think a lot more of it is due to the lack of continuity this year and as the USA Today guy said this morning (sorry I can’t remember his name) the lack of diversity in the 6 that have made it. Nothing they are doing this year encourages people to become invested in one of the kid’s dream. That is a large part of what has made this show so successful and this format totally destroyed it.

Idol needs to get the yunger generation of viewers back, and the only way to do that is to fix how “lame” it is. That’s the word everyone used to discribe it at school today. The thing is, it’s not the contestants that are lame (well, for the most part) so the blame needs to shift off of them and towards the producers. What exactly is lame? Gimmicks (Bikini Girl, Normund, Tatiana), pimping (Lil, Danny), obviously scripted conversations (“Lil Rounds, you’ll be back for many more lil rounds”). Basically, if the producers think it’s tricking people and getting them to watch, they need to stop doing it.

Personally, I don’t agree with Simon’s comment about not having enough good-looking people this season. From past experience, we’ve seen that America reacts better to nerdy- or average-looking people who have a makeover during their run on the show, but still don’t look like models. American Idol thrives on the basis that the contestants are people just like us – the viewers – who get the chance of a lifetime and become stars, if only for their time on the show. If they come in looking like one already, it takes away some of the charm. I’m just saying, I don’t think looks should be that big of a deal. The make-up crew and stylists can always fix them up.

Great post, Kirsten. I agree completely.

I just don’t think you can compare this week’s numbers to last year’s nums…totallly diff. Anyway, don’t think it matters in the long run…all media are different now. New ball game. Still luv my Idols.l Go ADAM!

When did Simon criticize the looks of the contestants? I will agree that many of them make hideous faces when singing which is quite the turn off. Great singers can make you think they’re beautiful when they’re singing. Many of the Idol folk these season look good but not when they sing.

Plus I’m getting quite the older vibe this season. Many of the top 12 will be married/and or have kids. It’s a very senior vibe and I’m not sure how many tweens are into recent widowers or moms with three kids.

Season 7 was the best no one can compare this year. However, how unfair for the people who go first. The second half gets more viewers. No wonder everyone who got the pimp spot made it.

“For reference, I checked where we were this time last season and it was the night we got Jasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Hallelujah, David C.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Hello, and David A.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Another Day in Paradise, and a general sense that the boys were better than the girlsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦so the season storylines were starting to take shape already.”

Wow, just wow Michelle, putting into perspective like that makes me so sad to see how much I HATE this format and how much we have missed

And YES Lurksalot – I am excited to see what Adam brings

I have to say, Youtube is the reason I started watching last year. I saw a couple of the performances from the top 24 on there and I started watching religiously. I think it is a huge mistake not to let that happen this year.

I blame it on this year’s format. Last year we got “Hello” from Cook which is the exact week he became my number one contestant. This year, I feel like I don’t even know the contestants. Is anyone, besides me, missing allowing the contestants to use intruments at this point?

There were so many fantastic young guys last year for the tweens and teens to love. Who will it be this year?

I wonder what role the mansion will play in future episodes? Also, I wonder if it is equpped with a play room for the young children?

Plus Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m getting quite the older vibe this season. Many of the top 12 will be married/and or have kids. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a very senior vibe and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure how many tweens are into recent widowers or moms with three kids.

This is true and it seems like the show really want us to know that. Most of those contestants even look older than they are. How are they going to get a new audience this way? I think to grab a new audience, they need people who are younger (not just in age but in looks and the way they act) or are “cool”. This top 12 doesn’t seem to really be that cool or young. And I don’t think America likes to vote for the married ones.

I think that they got so scared when a couple of non-Idol-like personalities almost kicked out the two they did want, Jason and Brooke, they got too close for comfort with his Uke and guitar and Brooke with her instruments. They had to stop that from happening this year, I think it was just too stressful for them

There were so many fantastic young guys last year for the tweens and teens to love. Who will it be this year?

Kris Allen?

They’ve lost a lot of the younger demo they had when the show was in its prime. They would have to do something dramatic to make the show more appealing to younger viewers to regain those eyeballs. And simply having contestants that appeal to that demo isn’t going to cut it. Why do you think Jive is working to get Archie the larger teen fanbase that he’s supposed to have as the cute, talented teen that he is? Because Idol failed to get him enough of those fans to start raking in the money that comes with marketing to that crowd. And if any contestant was going to bring in younger viewers, it was him. So, IMO, Idol is just getting old for the young. They’re bored with it and have moved on.

I think that they got so scared when a couple of non-Idol-like personalities almost kicked out the two they did want, Jason and Brooke, they got too close for comfort with his Uke and guitar and Brooke with her instruments.

I agree with Jason succeeding in throwing a spanner into the works but I IMO, Brooke was never really that much of a threat.

It’s the new (old) format. It’s tedious.

Well another thing is that usually by now in the old format you feel at least a little comfortable with the contestants having seen them sing 3x already. You’re starting to see what they’re about, and you have a clue whether they’re consistent or not. This year we’ve seen everyone sing once, so there’s no investment yet…plus anyway, why bother caring about a contestant when there’s a good chance you’ll never see them again?

It’s like TPTB meant gimmicks and backstory when they told us they would focus more on “getting to know” contestants.

I think there are just toooooooooo many contestants and people are just bored. Crap I can’t even remember half of the contestants from last week, ok I do lol because I read mj’s blog religiously. LOL.:) We are so use to following 24 for 3 weeks and building our love for them. Instead we are stuck with a new group each week and we have to pick 3. I feel like I am at an Applebees. Out of the 36, they really could of narrowed it down to 12 really good girls and 12 really great guys. It also gives the ones that screw up (ex: Anoop, Jasmine and Matt G.) a chance to redeem themselves. The first week is always the toughest. I remember last season when I hated the girls night the first week because they sucked but they grew on me over the weeks.

I would like them to keep the wildcard thing and just let America bring one more person back. Maybe a top 13, lol. Please bring Nigel back, idol needs him so bad.

This year, I feel like I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even know the contestants. Is anyone, besides me, missing allowing the contestants to use intruments at this point?

No you are not the lone stranger.

Not knowing the contestants and not watching them grow takes away one of the most beautiful things that Idol has to offer. For example David Cook started out as a cute bad boy rocker guy that turned into a gorgeous man that oozes charisma that can sing anything.

And the lack of instruments is making the show seem more karaoke like instead of giving the contestants a chance to perform in a real world setting. Last year they searched for natural artistry, and this year they are searching for a pre-packaged pop-tart. But Idol is not the only ones in the music industry shoving pop-tarts in our faces. Most of the music industry has been watered down as a whole.

But I feel that the show will get better once we get to see some of the final 12 contestants perform more than once.

But I feel that the show will get better once we get to see some of the final 12 contestants perform more than once.

Yes, it will be nice to have the same contestants every week, but I’m afraid they will be less polished than previous years since they all have not performed regularly in the semis. Maybe the wildcard winners will have a slight edge.

Is anyone, besides me, missing allowing the contestants to use intruments at this point?

I miss them. Yeah, it removes their “crutches” to focus just on their vocal ability, but it also removes a big part of their musical identity. I’m not getting this decision at all.

Personally, I’m not vested in any of these guys.

the positive it is UP in ratings. I dont care about last year.

The judges are not good enough actors to hide their boredom, annoyance, petty rivalries and overall
bad attitudes. This is contagious and has contributed to the overall bad vibe of S8.

I remember in Season One that Simon was desperately worried that the wrong person would win. Now all he seems to care about is not being bored. Unless things improve the musings after this season will not be if a particular contestant broke Idol. It will be that Idol broke Idol.

I agree with Sounscene ^^^re: the young are bored and moved on. I’m an “old” that moved on sorta. Except I visit this blog. I’m going to watch the show after the top 12 are determined. I don’t think Simon is to blame…I think it’s collective and I don’t think any of us really know how it all plays out. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Simon didn’t want half of the pool remaining in the first place….

Most of the people I know are bored and have moved on. Plus, the internet is their friend. They know Danny and Adam just from running across their name on the internet and checking out youtube. One saw Allison on some show and listened to her performance on youtube (which is doing so amazing by the way) But they don’t want to sit through a 2 hour show for 1 or 2 performances they can check out afterwards.

There are way too many people. The Old format was better. I felt like I knew them better. Plus, for all the proclaimed changes, it looks and feels the same. They needed something fun. Should have picked fewer contestants, had a flashier stage, maybe had some sing offs along with them singing a full song. I liked the longer time with the judges. They were actually entertaining last night.

Bottom line. It’s too formal. Too structured.

About the youtube videos, last year I didn ´t watch Idol, until a friend send me a video of Archie ´s Imagine, and after taht I saw all the videos in youtube before tunning in… I guess having the videos on youtube does help to a contestant to get more attention… I have know other peà ²ple that alse arrive later to AI but decided to watch the program because of the youtube videos…

I was at a lunch yesterday and talked about the show. I’d say the same people who watched it last year are watching again this season. I was surprised to learn that a teenage daughter of one was upset that Kristen didn’t make it through who was her favorite. I think the show hasn’t been cool with young adults for a long time and nothing has changed that. This format could be losing other groups but a lot of people don’t start watching until the top 12 so may or may not improve. I don’t like it because I don’t feel I’m seeing people enough before the finals but there are a couple of things I’d like to see remain such as a wildcard for at least 1 or 2 spots and getting rid of the even guys/girls in the finals.

I loved season 7 but don’t agree it was the best ever. I’ve enjoyed all of the seasons I’ve watched for various seasons although less so when my favorite goes home early (5 & 7). I like a few of the top 12 which is probably more than I did last season at this time.

It’s ironic if the changes that were supposed to arrest the ratings decline result in it plunging more steeply than before.