American Idol Fan Site | Who got voted off American Idol

American Idol numbers are dropping? Not hardly, even though 33.2 million watch the Idol premier many are speculating on the Season 7 potential. Pishshaw, it was recently reported that Idol’s corperated sponsors we paying more than 30 million for their commercial endorsement.

Fox’s hit singing competition returned for its seventh season with a two-hour Tuesday premiere that averaged 33.2 million total viewers, according to preliminary results from Nielsen Media Research. That’s a huge number, by a large margin the most-watched entertainment telecast so far this season.

And needless to say, it blew away the competition: The night’s next most-watched show was CBS’ “NCIS,” which logged 15.9 million viewers. It also stomped NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” (7.2 million), which had been benefiting from a lack of competition due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.

Even so, a sense of diminishment hung in the air. For the first time since it became a winter TV staple back in 2003, “Idol’s” season premiere did not improve on the previous year’s debut. Not only was “Idol” down 11% compared with last season’s all-time high for a season opener (37.4 million), it actually delivered the lowest premiere figures, among both total viewers and the crucial demographic of adults ages 18 to 49, since 2004.

The slippage comes as “Idol” has faced criticism over its content, sometimes from people close to the show. The producers have said the sixth season spent too much time with celebrity mentors at the expense of the contestants. Critics felt last year’s competition was hijacked by a distracting controversy over Sanjaya Malakar, a teenage crooner with ever-evolving hairstyles. In a Rolling Stone interview, Chris Daughtry, the fourth-place finisher in 2006 and now a popular rock musician, said “Idol” is “lacking some credibility at this point.”

Even so, Tuesday’s numbers are not necessarily a reliable indicator of overall waning interest in “Idol.” The ratings can build as the field winnows down and viewers get engrossed in the rivalries among the contestants. And as the writers strike wears on, “Idol” may benefit from rival networks forced to rely on repeats and lesser-known unscripted shows.

Little early to tell if Idol is slipping, but based on the Talent Pool projected into the top 24, with no Sanjaya to be found, Idol’s train and juggernaut should continue to roll very nicely. Idol will continue with their IDOL GIVES BACK show in mid season and several new contests have been developed with corporate sponsor to allow home audience views a chance to win monetary prizes. My crytal ball shows higher numbers and more fan participation than ever.

Just slow down showing us all the Pimp Suits and Zanies in the Audition process and focus more on the Music and Talent. Give us the back story on the Talent or Idols, not on the Idiots.

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