American Idol TV Ratings Fall + Are Nicki Minaj & Mariah Carey to Blame?

After all of the hype of their (HUGE) salaries and confirmed tension (not to mention a big blow-up argument that was caught on tape) between the new judges of ‘American Idol’, I was sure that Wednesday night, everybody and their mama would be watching for the show’s premiere–after all, it’s the 12th season! But apparently, not so much. The Hollywood Reporter shares that the singing competition’s premiere brought in 17.81 million viewers and a 6.0 rating among adults 18-49. How does that compare to last year? It’s a loss of 19 percent from last January’s premiere.

What’s more? Among total viewers, Fox took a bigger hit than it did between the last two seasons when it dropped 17 percent, but among adults 18-49, the premiere loss last season (25 percent) was greater. Last year’s Idol opener brought 21.9 million and a 7.4 rating. So my question to you is, what factors do you think contributed to this premiere’s shortcomings? The bickering and media buzz about Nicki Minaj vs. Mariah Carey feud? Has the show lost it’s steam and excitement after being on air for this long? Are viewers missing Simon Cowell? Or could you care less?