NEW YORK (AP) — Fox has some ratings bragging rights with football and perhaps something to worry about with “American Idol.”
The Nielsen Co. said Tuesday that the New York Giants’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday was the third most-watched NFC championship game ever. It had an average of 57.6 million viewers, lifting to 69 million during the overtime game’s dramatic finish.
Those numbers partially obscured the fact that “American Idol” returned with its lowest season premiere ratings since the show first came on the air a decade ago.
NBC’s 90th birthday special for Betty White was the network’s second most-watched entertainment show of the year behind the Golden Globes, a number that so cheered the network that it repeated the show five nights later.
