LOS ANGELES—The "American Idol" triumph of 17-year-old Jordin Sparks drew nearly 6 million fewer viewers than last year's finale, in the latest sign that U.S. television's highest-rated show may have finally hit its peak.
According to a final tally from Nielsen Media Research on Thursday, 30.7 million fans watched as the Arizona teenager was crowned the youngest champion at the end of the sixth installment of Fox network's amateur singing contest.
The Wednesday night total is down 16 percent from the 36.4 million who tuned in to see gray-haired soul crooner Taylor Hicks claim victory at the conclusion of last year's competition.
For the season as a whole, "American Idol" was down slightly in average overall audience compared with 2006, and off a bit more in ratings for viewers aged 18 to 49, the key young-adult crowd most prized by advertisers.
That marks the first year-to-year decline in the show's Nielsen numbers since its 2002 inception, despite media hype and Internet buzz this year surrounding two contestants -- the racy photos of Antonella Barba and the wacky-haired sensation stirred by Sanjaya Malakar.
Moreover, the show that has built Fox into a prime-time powerhouse for young viewership has continued to grow steadily older.
Nielsen figures show the median age of "Idol" viewers has risen from 34 to 41 during the past five years, and that viewers over 50 now account for about a third of the show's audience, compared to less than 20 percent in 2003.
No comments:
Post a Comment