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The show, one of Fox's strongest, was expected to fare poorly relative to past seasons in light of the network's current ratings drought. However, Reuters reports that initial data suggests that the show beat the other major networks combined in the 8-10pm slot, averaging 33.45 million viewers.
Last year's third season premiere drew 28.2 million viewers and had a 30% share of the 18 to 49-year-old age bracket, whereas Tuesday's show had 33% of the same demographic group.
The season premiere was the almost the highest-rating American Idol yet, second only to the season two final, and was the third most-viewed evening in the network's history.
