American Idol's 15th and final season kicked off on Wednesday night (Jan. 6) and the big question on everyone's mind beyond "Will that married couple stay together?" and "Really, how did they get Kanye West to audition?" is how the show did in its ratings. The numbers have been revealed, and the answer is... meh.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, American Idol's swan song got its start with 10.9 million viewers at 8 p.m. on FOX and had an average rating of 2.9 among adults 18 to 49, the biggest key demographic. The show won Wednesday night for network television, besting Modern Family on ABC and this year's People's Choice Awards on CBS. Modern Family pulled in slightly over 8 million viewers at 9 p.m. and the PCAs notched just shy of 6 million.
Though American Idol's finale dominated Wednesday night television, the 10.9 million viewer count is a new premiere low for the long-running series, though not by much. The season 14 premiere in January of last year got 11.2 million viewers. Statistically, that means that Idol's ratings remained flat for its final year.
Ahead of the premiere of Idol, it seemed like once again the show was being promoted during every commercial break. FOX teased the show not just with a Top 24 video but with nostalgic commercials boasting the competition's biggest successes (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood) and the much-hyped Kanye West audition, which finally aired last night. The rapper performed his Late Registration smash "Gold Digger" and got an expected ticket to Hollywood while his wife Kim Kardashian waited outside.
American Idol's 15th season will continue tonight (Jan. 7) with more auditions in San Francisco and Little Rock, Arkansas.
