American Idol Ratings See Big Increases Over Last Year’s Episode

WOW. I did not expect that.

But could they have been turned away from the bad show last night?

This increase is due to the General and Pants on the Ground. That was such a smart marketing move last week.

That’s great news! Too bad it was a boring episode. LOL. How do those ratings compare to last Tuesday/Wednesday?

That’s great news! Too bad it was a boring episode. LOL.

That’s EXACTLY what I thought :D.

This year’s auditions seem more enjoyable for some reason. Maybe no Paula? And yes I credit the amazing hit Pants on the Ground for the big increase.

This increase is due to the General and Pants on the Ground. That was such a smart marketing move last week.

Yes that’s probably true, also last year’s episode may have had some stiffer competition (I can’t remember).

It’s still early but Paula’s departure has had no effect on the ratings so far (not that I expected one).

Maybe the reason for the big increase of the ratings is because people know this is the last year for Simon. :)

Maybe the reason for the big increase of the ratings is because people know this is the last year for Simon. :)

That could be part of it too

This increase is due to the General and Pants on the Ground. That was such a smart marketing move last week.

Completely agree. And the guy didn’t even get paid. It’s too bad last night was such a dull show, they’ll probably lose those viewers as fast as they gained them.

so is it safe to say they can pop that champagne again? :) im slightly amused at the comments from last week after it was reported the show slightly dipped in ratings……everyone was SO READY to claim Idol is done/jumped the shark. look, i dont think in this day and age, you can sustain the high ratings of what tv shows were getting 5 yrs ago, but Idol is still a novelty, we still talk about it, it still creates watercooler moments, it still has bite. next year w. the addition of XFactor will really change the game…until then, I dont think a slight bump or dip in the ratings is cause for (much) panic or rejoice.

Let’s wait at least one more episode before we get a better idea on the general viewer count. After all, they may have been turned away by a crappy episode.

I agree about Pants On The Ground/General Larry Platt being part responsible for the increase. Could Shania have been another part of it? It’ll be interesting seeing how the ratings pattern develops. I was wondering if last year’s Tuesday episode was against something major too like DWTS?

If last night’s episode ratings were way up, it was probably because of Shania!! I know a lot of people myself included who don’t watch the audition episodes but gave in because she was on there. There are still a lot of Shania fans around.

…Who predicts Pants on the Ground to be the most successful single to come out this season? It’s not even a single, yet I have a feeling it will be :P.

I was wondering if last year’s Tuesday episode was against something major too like DWTS?

Kind of. Fox chose to counter-program against a little event called the “Inaugural Ball”. Actually, I think that’s pretty mild competition because it was all over the channels and this was the only choice if you didn’t want to watch a ball (sure, watch the Inaugural Speech, but the ball itself doesn’t seem like that big of a draw)

MJ Article

American Idol, of course, stood well above anything else on the evening, with 22.42 million viewers and an 8.9 rating/22 share among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. But compared to one year earlier (Viewers: 29.27 million; A18-49: 11.8/29 on Oct. 22, 2008), that was a decease of 6.85 million viewers and 25 percent in the demo

BTW, the episode last year was San Francisco which yielded such notables as Tatiana Del Torro, Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert (and Kai Kalama who had a good audition, but kind of faded).

Interesting. MJ NOted:

So, what the hell is wrong with San Francisco? A mere 12 contestants advance to Hollywood? That’s pretty pathetic, if you ask me.

Hmm…seems like episode 3 is for the city that doesn’t advance very many people (13 last night).

BTW Here is what happened to episode 4 last year:

American Idol opened the evening for Fox with 25.43 million viewers and a 9.6 rating/25 share among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. As a benchmark, CBS Criminal Minds at 9 p.m. was the second most-watched show of the evening, with 13.86 million. One year earlier, however, Idol scored a heftier 27.07 million viewers and a 10.9/28 in the demo in the hour on Jan. 23, 2008.

So, something is afoot. Might be that song. People don’t want to miss the next water cooler moment? Or maybe it was Shania. She has a lot of fans and doesn’t make a lot of appearances.

sweeet!! seems that idol is afloat as of now! the real test will be when the auditions are over…….alot of people watch the auditions to see the funny ones, after that it usually falls quite a bit

…Who predicts Pants on the Ground to be the most successful single to come out this season? It’s not even a single, yet I have a feeling it will be :P .

Agreed. I’m surprised that 19 hasn’t thrown the General into a recording studio already. ;)

Admit it, everyone knows the increase was due to the pretty new face on the wallpaper! :grin:

…Who predicts Pants on the Ground to be the most successful single to come out this season? It’s not even a single, yet I have a feeling it will be :P

It’s already on t-shirts. :D

January 20, 2009? Of course ratings were up this year; Idol wasn’t competing with history (and ABC’s telecast of an inaugural ball featuring the first appearance of the First Lady’s gown and the new First Couple’s first dance while being serenaded by an A-list singer). The Neighborhood Ball featured many chart-topping musical stars and averaged 12.6 million viewers up against AI. Combined with the cable news coverage I’m sure it was enough to pull away millions of typical Idol viewers. I like Shania and “Pants on the Ground”, but I think the analysis of the amazing ratings spike left out a crucial detail.

…Who predicts Pants on the Ground to be the most successful single to come out this season? It’s not even a single, yet I have a feeling it will be :P

It’s already on t-shirts. :D

Cute. Although I would be somewhat afraid to wear it.

I have a question, wasn’t last year episode the same day that United State election when Obama won?
** I don’t live in USA so I don’t remember **

I have a question, wasn’t last year episode the same day that United State election when Obama won?

Our elections are in November…

Oh, wait, the inauguration? That’d be a year from today.

unique28v

That could be part of it too

Yeah. :) So many parts to it. :)

Well looks like “Pants on the Ground” could very well be a #1 hit! Larry Pratt is offered a record deal! http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00030197.html

Oh, wait, the inauguration? That’d be a year from today.

LOL

“If last night’s episode ratings were way up, it was probably because of Shania!! I know a lot of people myself included who don’t watch the audition episodes but gave in because she was on there. There are still a lot of Shania fans around.”

Yep- my husband being another one who watched as Shania was on there!! [ She has the record for the most sales for a female artist around the world I believe] I’d say that’s the main reason ratings were up- so it will be interesting to see tonights ratings if they go down again.

Am I the only one who doesn’t get the hype around “Pants On the ground” ? Sure it was a cute moment when performed but I’m over it now!!

Oh, wait, the inauguration? That’d be a year ago from today.

Because, ahem, I’m not terribly coherent and can’t phrase a sentence worth a damn, apparently.

More have tuned in this season because it’s Simon’s last season. AI will most likely fail after this year unless they get someone like David Foster to fill Simon’s shoes.

Wow! Those are really good ratings. Maybe Idol will survive the loss of Simon after all. Or maybe it’s the opposite, as dior says. Anyway, this season is starting out great.

Kind of. Fox chose to counter-program against a little event called the “Inaugural Ball”.

LOL. Thanks Kirsten. For some reason I thought AI had started one week earlier this year so it was something else but the Inaugural Balls were the obvious answer.

This season’s ratings story is only beginning. A lot will depend on the top 24 they’ve cast.

Well looks like “Pants on the Ground” could very well be a #1 hit! Larry Pratt is offered a record deal! http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00030197.html

This isn’t surprising, given all of the covers done within a 12 hour period of hearing the song, but doesn’t 19E have priority over giving General Platt a record deal????

Honestly, there have been several good reasons given for the large increase in ratings, and all of them probably played a part, but I’d say the inaugural ball and “Pants on the Ground” are the two biggest reasons.

I firmly believe the increase in ratings is because everyone believes this will be the last season of AI. At least that is the phenomenon it is now.

That is the only reason I am watching early, instead of waiting until Hollywood. I find it to be a yawn for the most part.