THURSDAY NIGHT, 5/16/2013
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Ratings for the “American Idol” finale plunged to a record low for the 12-year-old show.
According to preliminary Nielsen Co. figures Friday, Candice Glover’s victory over Kree Harrison was watched by 14.2 million viewers. That’s a 34 percent drop from the year before, when nearly 22 million viewers saw Phillip Phillips claim the “Idol” crown. That represented the show’s previous record low finale audience. Among advertiser-coveted young adults, “American Idol” saw an even steeper 42 percent drop for Thursday’s finale.
The lack of interest in the winner of this year’s contest parallels the show’s declining ratings for the season. Fox is scrambling to revive the singing contest that once dominated TV, revamping the judges’ panel and making yet-to-be detailed format changes. Original judge Randy Jackson has already announced his exit.
Here’s what happened on the final adjustment from other broadcast networks. The Big Bang Theory was adjusted up four tenths, Grey’s Anatomy, the Vampire Diaries, Hannibal, & The Office Retrospective were each adjusted up one tenth among adults 18-49, versus the preliminary Thursday broadcast ratings.
Broadcast primetime final ratings for Thursday, May 16:
| Time | Net | Show | 18-49 rating | 18-49 Share | Viewers Live+SD (million) |
| 8:00PM | CBS | The Big Bang Theory – Season Finale | 4.8 | 16 | 15.48 |
| FOX | American Idol (8-10PM) – Season Finale | 3.6 | 11 | 14.31 | |
| NBC | The Office Retrospective | 2.1 | 7 | 4.43 | |
| CW | The Vampire Diaries – Season Finale | 1.1 | 3 | 2.24 | |
| ABC | Wipeout | 1.0 | 3 | 3.81 | |
| 8:30PM | CBS | The Big Bang Theory -R | 3.3 | 10 | 11.83 |
| 9:00PM | ABC | Grey’s Anatomy- Season Finale | 3.1 | 8 | 8.99 |
| NBC | The Office – Series Finale (9-10:15) | 3.0 | 8 | 5.69 | |
| CBS | Elementary (9-11) -Season Finale | 2.0 | 6 | 8.98 | |
| CW | Beauty And The Beast -Season Finale | 0.5 | 1 | 1.26 | |
| 10:00 PM | ABC | Scandal -Season Finale | 3.2 | 9 | 9.12 |
| NBC | Hannibal (10:15-11PM) | 1.1 | 5 | 2.46 | |
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2013 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
~ The Adam's Corner ~ 