"Idol" dilemma -- ratings up, sales down
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"American Idol" is poised to set  ratings records when Fox's talent show returns to the airwaves  with a four-hour season premiere on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Sometimes ratings just don't make sense. For example, why would the Patriots' local numbers increase by 18 percent this season? You'd expect that after two Super Bowl championships in three years, the franchise's fan base would be large, but the audience would be relatively stable.
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Fox's "American Idol" returned as the nation's most popular TV series, but with 4 million fewer viewers than the 2007 season premiere.
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By Corilyn Shropshire, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  Feb. 6--This week's episodes of "American Idol" nearly didn't happen for  some Pittsburgh fans.
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Life after not winning American Idol may not be   all Grammy Awards and People magazine covers, but the show's   also-rans seem to be holding their own.
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ABC's "Duel" was a dud, but a good-natured singing competition on NBC engaged more television viewers in the week leading up to Christmas.
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Thousands of Americans have defected to satellite TV as the providers have reported hefty gains while the cable industry has declined. Consumers likely will see aggressive marketing promotions in the next six months as companies jockey for customers, analysts say.
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The &quot;American Idol&quot; triumph of  17-year-old Jordin Sparks drew nearly 6 million fewer viewers  than last year&#39;s finale, in the latest sign that U.S.  television&#39;s highest-rated show may have finally hit its peak.
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Viewers swarmed to NBC&#39;s  &quot;Singing Bee&quot; on Tuesday night as Fox&#39;s telecast of baseball&#39;s  All-Star Game dropped to near-historic lows.
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It is unclear how the Nielsen Companyâs new standardized ratings of commercials will affect billions in advertising deals.
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The fourth-season premiere of Fox's musical juggernaut "American Idol" dominated television on Tuesday, outdrawing the other five leading broadcast networks combined in total viewership and audience rating, according to preliminary ratings.
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For the first time, music fans can enjoy all of the contestant performances from Season Seven of American Idol, televisionâs most popular show, exclusively on iTunes. This week, performances of the âAmerican Idolâ Top 24 semifinalists will be the first to appear on iTunes. You also can purchase music performances for 99 cents per song. Starting March 11, youâll also be able to purchase the full video of Top 12 finalist performances for $1.99. And, beginning today, you can pre-order performances of your favorite contestants from the iTunes Store, which will automatically download the day after the show airs. The exclusive availability comes to you thanks to a partnership of Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Interactive Media, 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia and Apple.
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Fox dominated the ratings on Tuesday, thanks to two popular shows, âAmerican Idolâ at 8 p.m. and âHouseâ at 9. Those shows delivered 28.1 million and 22.5 million viewers, Nielsen estimated. A repeat of CBSâs âNCISâ at 8 attracted the nightâs third-largest audience (11.7 million). CBSâs all-rerun lineup tied NBC for runner-up on the night, but NBC fared better among adults 18 to 49 with âThe Biggest Loserâ at 8 (8.3 million) followed by âLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitâ at 10 (9.4 million). ABC finished fourth overall. On Monday President Bushâs final State of the Union address attracted the smallest audience of his two terms, 37.5 million viewers. That tally was 8 million fewer than a year ago, but 6 million more than President Clintonâs last State of the Union address in 2000. The speech was broadcast live at 9 p.m. on a total of nine network and cable channels.
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The fourth-season premiere of Fox's  musical juggernaut "American Idol" dominated television on  Tuesday, outdrawing the other five leading broadcast networks  combined in total viewership and audience rating, according to  preliminary ratings.
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U.S. television's top show, "American Idol," returns to the Fox network on Tuesday, poised to stand taller than ever in the ratings as it arrives in a prime-time landscape clouded by the Hollywood writers strike.
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Fox ruled prime-time television  ratings last week as the combination of "American Idol" and a  closely-fought football playoff game trumped everything  broadcast by the other major networks.
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LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - "American Idol" is poised to set ratings records when Fox's talent show returns to the airwaves with a four-hour season premiere on Tuesday and Wednesday.