NEW YORK — Nielsen ratings give “American Idol” a huge win as Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert to become the show’s singing champ.
Nielsen says nearly 29 million viewers tuned in for the finale Wednesday night. “American Idol” viewership was one-third larger than the total audience logged by Fox’s rival networks ABC, CBS, NBC and CW.
Meanwhile, “American Idol” helped carry the Fox network to its fifth straight win for the entire broadcast season among viewers 18 to 49 years old.
In Canada, 2.62 million viewers tuned in to watch the show on CTV, the network says, making it the most-watched program of the month.