‘American Idol’ has lost its commanding hold on ratings. The premiere suffered a 24% drop compared to last year’s season opener.
The 11th season of Idol had the biggest year-over-year downfall. The Ryan Seacrest fueled show still won the night for Fox. It isn’t unexpected. The absence of the original judging panel, sans Randy Jackson, and the lure of the replacements gone, the show is the same mess reheated. According to EW, it peaked in 2007 and has seen a yearly decline since with only one influx of interest when Ellen DeGeneres briefly joined the panel.
21.9 million viewers tuned in with a 7.4 rating in the adult demo. Meanwhile, Idol’s biggest competition reached 11.8 million viewers, giving ‘Modern Family’ a 5.0 rating.
(Note: some ratings on the chart have been adjusted due to time zone calculations.)
