Primetime Ratings: 'American Idol' Premiere Steady Versus Last Year

Tuesday night's American Idol premiered to 29.8 million average viewers and an 11.7 adults 18-49 rating according to preliminary Nielsen numbers.

That's pretty much identical, though down just a touch from last year's preliminary numbers for American Idol's season premiere on Jan. 13, 2009 which averaged 30.1 million and an 11.8 rating with adults 18-49.

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