American Idol had the week off for the Oscars. So no current ratings to report. But the good news, the show will air exclusively on Sundays for the rest of season 19. No more competing head to head with The Voice. Actually, for much of the season, the two shows ran neck and neck, until Monday’s Comeback show earned a season and series low of 0.59 in the 18-49 key demo.
The Voice stays fairly steady
The latest episode of The Voice, airing Monday April 26, stayed steady for NBC earning a 0.81 in the key 18-49 demo and 6.8 million overall viewers. While The Voice had the most eyeballs for the night, FOX show 911 won the night in the key demo with 0.95 and 5.6 million viewers.
It’s a big deal for a network entertainment show to break a 1.0 ratings these days, which is why The Masked Singer’s steady 1.2 rating is impressive. Today’s network ratings would have seemed CRAZY to consider even five years ago.
2021 Oscars ratings tanked
As the pundits predicted, the 2021 Oscars ratings on Sunday cratered. The biggest award show of the year only nabbed a 2.12 in the key demo and 10.4 million viewers. The event, staged in a Los Angeles railroad station, had in person presentations and acceptance speeches. But the show had no host, barely any clips or comedy, and interminably long speeches. A show that is typically self-important took hubris to new heights.
Here’s the issue. We’re in a pandemic. It stinks. When folks turn on the TV they want to escape to a NORMAL WORLD. These award shows only remind TV viewers how terrible everything is. Plus, with movie theaters shuttered, and release delays, the slate of films nominated were uneven at best.
Long story short: The Oscars lost 60% in the demo and 56% in overall viewers. ABC put out a press release with the headline: “ABC’s The Oscars Attracts 10.4 Million Total Viewers, Making It Most-Watched Awards Show Since Last Year’s Telecast” I mean, that’s TRUE. The Oscars had the highest ratings of all Awards shows this year. But, it usually does (Last year’s Grammys had a slightly higher demo rating).
American Idol Disney is a fan favorite, no major competition next week
American Idol will return on Sunday with a fan-favorite theme, Disney songs and no competition on competing networks. I expect the ratings could reach a 0.8 or 0.9 in the demo. 0.75 is the lowest rating for Idol this season on a Sunday.
Sunday April 25: The Oscars earned a 2.1 in the key 18-49 demo, 10.4 million viewers (Last year: 5.3/23.6mil which was a new low at the time)
Monday April 26: The Voice earned a 0.81 in the key 18-49 demo and 6.8 million viewers (Last week: 0.88/6.4mil)
More ratings at Showbuzz Daily
