American Idol Still a Ratings Winner

I’m a wee bit behind on my updates.   Last night, I was at Axis in Boston to see Constantine Maroulis and Pray for the Soul of Betty.   I think Constantine is a really good singer.   But, Betty is a grunge band and not a great vehicle for Constantine to showcase his vocal talents.   Nevertheless, it was a fun show.   Everybody who bought some merch got into the meet and greet afterward.   To be honest, Constantine seemed really tired and distracted…

There was an article written by the excellent media reporter, Bill Carter, in the New York Times  yesterday (registration is required to read the article).   Idol, so far is doing spectacularly well in the ratings.   It’s remarkable that Idol, after 4 seasons, not only has staying power, but continues to gain in popularity.   Here’s some interesting factoids from the article:

  • “American Idol, ” already top-rated, was up <season premier compared to last year>  an astonishing 15 percent among the 18-to-49-year-old viewers that Fox most sought to reach. It was up almost 10 percent among all viewers, at 35.5 million, the second-largest audience ever for an entertainment show on Fox.”
  • “Last Tuesday’s show was up 25 percent both in total viewers and in the 18-to-49 group from the corresponding week a year earlier. “
  • “Idol” was already the highest-priced show in television at a reported $600, 000 for each 30-second commercial (compared with about $480, 000 for the top NBC drama, “E.R.”). “
  • “That figure will only increase next season as a result of this performance. Nothing any other network puts on approaches the popularity of “American Idol.” Tuesday’s two-hour edition averaged a 37 share among 18-to-49-year-old viewers. That was more than double the share of the three other networks combined from 8 to 10 p.m.”
  • “Among teenage girls, the show had an extraordinary 49 share ‘  meaning that of every girl in the country watching television for those two hours, with about 100 channels to choose from in most homes, half were watching Fox.”

I’ll be posting a little bit of gossip later….