Many reviewers and critics argued weeks ago that the season low ratings of America’s Got Talent were due to the debut of its newest judge – Howard Stern. But as the show’s ratings have increased in the last few weeks, one quickly begins to doubt that Stern is the cause of the show’s poor performance.
Tuesday’s show, which covered the St. Louis audition, won over an estimated 11.3 million viewers, a season high brought on by a steady increase from the season’s premiere. This was up by 2 million viewers from the previous week, and more than 1 million viewers from the holiday Monday. What is even more important though is that Tuesday’s ratings were more in line with those of past seasons.
So, then what was the problem with the reality TV show’s poor ratings? The answer is most likely the air date. America’s Got Talent was alone in launching prior to Memorial Day, which placed it in conflict with with the season finales of CBS’s Monday comedies as well as Dancing With the Stars and American Idol.
While the early launch date was in part necessitated by the London Olympics, it is clear the the producers made a mistake in airing the show early. On the bright side, bringing Howard Stern on board was a smart move and it’s definitely benefiting the show.
What do you think? Was Stern a good addition to the show?