Wednesday an easy win for Fox

'American Idol' reverses ratings slump

By STUART LEVINE

'American Idol' returned to form this week, trouncing the nearest competish in 18-49.

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"American Idol" reversed a six-week downward trend Wednesday night with a 9% ratings increase from last week in the 18-49 demo.

Fox won the night handily, with 15.2 million viewers watching and a 5.6 rating/15 share in the demo. The rating more than doubled that of nearest competitor CBS, which registered a 2.5/7.

On a night when Syesha Mercado was eliminated, setting up an all-David -- Cook vs. Archuleta -- showdown, "Idol" scored a 9.0 rating/22 share, with 24.2 million viewers overall for the 9 o'clock hour. The 9:30 half-hour, with more people watching in anticipation of who would be tossed, scored a 9.8/23, with 22.0 million viewers overall and up 12% on the same time period last week.

Next week marks the end of this "Idol" season, with the Tuesday and Wednesday shows broadcast live from the Kodak Theater. Last year's finale drew an 11.5/31 in 18-49, with 30.7 million viewers overall tuning in for the two-hour show.

Wednesday also marked the season finale of "America's Next Top Model," which drew its top numbers for this edition. The CW skein earned a 2.3/7 in the demo, with 4.6 million viewers overall.