The Simon Cowell era of "American Idol" is sputtering to a close on Fox.
Viewership of the yearly contest that has dominated television for much of the past decade is off. The 19.4 million people who watched last Tuesday represented a 17 percent decline from the same week in 2009, the Nielsen Co. said. Wednesday's tally was off 10 percent.
It's pulling "Idol" back to the pack. The two airings were still the second- and third-most popular prime-time programs last week, but ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" was No. 1.
The caustic Cowell, "American Idol's" most dominant personality, announced in January this would be his final season. He's doing it without his frequent foil, Paula Abdul, who was replaced by Ellen Degeneres.
Meanwhile, it appears CBS' "60 Minutes" had a "Conan bump" in the ratings, a trend that TBS can only hope continues. Nielsen said 13.5 million people watched Conan O'Brien's first interview since leaving the "Tonight" show, with Steve Kroft. That's about a million more than the newsmagazine usually gets in April, when Daylight Savings Time cuts into its viewership.
O'Brien begins a talk show on TBS in November.