'American Idol' ratings hold strong

Ratings for the third episode of American Idol 3 that aired on Wednesday night in the US have continued to be impressive.

Fast national data from Nielsen Media Research puts the show at a 16.2 rating/24 share during the 8pm hour on FOX, posting a clear lead over second-placed NBC, where The Apprentice managed a 7.8/12. (One ratings point represents 1,067,000 households, or one percent of the USA television universe of 106.7m TV-equipped households. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions in a universe tuned to a particular show or channel.)

The episode in fact scored the highest ratings for the show so far this season. The premiere episode on Monday weighed in at 15.5/23, while Tuesday's episode scored the same. One reason as to why Wednesday's episode may have scored higher is that pictures released in advance showed Simon Cowell being drenched with a cup of water by an irate contestant.

Viewers in the UK can begin watching American Idol 3 starting tonight (Friday) on ITV2.