'American Idol' Reboot Debut Is Lowest-Rated in Series History

'American Idol' Reboot Is Lowest-Rated in Series History But, it still managed to perform better than any other show that aired last week since its move to ABC. Early Nielsen ratings said the 16th season debut of 'Idol' grabbed the attention of nearly 10.3 million viewers on Sunday night. It also scored a 2.3 rating in its key demographic – ages 18 to 49. But, the numbers are still lower than the previous season's debut in January 2016 by 23 percent, according to Vulture. The premiere of the 15th season earned an average 3.0 rating in the key demo and it was just shy of 11 million viewers.