‘American Idol’ Premiere Lowest Rated In Four Years

TV Week reports that Tuesday night’s premiere of ‘American Idol’ season seven received a 13.8 rating among adults 18 to 49, according to preliminary Nielsen data. That figure is the poorest opening in four years for the show, down 13% from last year’s 15.8 and down 10% from 2006′s 15.3. Still, the rating was enough to trounce its competitors, with NBC coming in second place for the evening, averaging a 3.5 rating. It appears that the writers’ strike helped the show dominate its competitors, but suffered because the strike has driven people to do activities other than watch television.