Nearly 29m tune in for 'Idol' premiere

Nearly 29 million people tuned in to watch the first episode of American Idol's third series on FOX, preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research have indicated.

The show pulled in a 15.5 rating/23 share for the 8pm hour, a huge lead over second-placed Fear Factor over on NBC.

Part 2 of the season premiere is scheduled for 8pm tonight (Tuesday), with part 3 coming up on Wednesday. The series starts airing in the UK from January 23 on ITV2.