'Idol' premiere attracts 26.2 million viewers

There's good news and bad news for 'American Idol.' Wednesday's season premiere attracted 26.2 million viewers and snagged the top spot for the evening. But this total represents a 12 percent drop from last year's premiere, which drew nearly 30 million viewers. And, the total represents an 18 percent drop in the show's target demographic, ages 18 to 49, which fell to 12.8 million viewers.

Still, 26.2 million is the show's highest total of viewers since Feb. 9, 2009 and reflects an increase of over 2 million viewers who caught the Season 9 finale last May.

Will the antics of Steven Tyler be enough to engage viewers for the rest of the season? It would appear the producers are hot to showcase young talent this year, which could increase the size of the tween audience. But will they "get" Tyler? Who knows. We'll be watching these numbers going forward, however. It will be interesting to see how 'Idol' competes with strong Thursday night network lineups.