American Idol Ratings Surge With Nashville Move

The singing competition show's Hollywood Week episode from Music City drew its highest viewership since the season premiere.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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American Idol's decision to move its Hollywood Week competition from Los Angeles to Nashville, Tennessee, paid off in the ratings. The episode drew 5.52 million total viewers and a 0.45 rating among adults 18-49, marking the show's best performance since its season premiere. The shift to Music City resulted in a 16% increase in total viewers from the previous week and a 27% boost over last season's Hollywood Week kickoff.

Why it matters

The ratings surge is a much-needed boost for the long-running singing competition show, which has struggled with viewership in recent seasons. The move to Nashville appears to have piqued viewer interest, potentially signaling a turnaround for the franchise.

The details

The February 23 episode, which saw 127 contestants prepare to be cut down to the Top 30, beat out NBC's The Voice in total viewers, marking American Idol's "largest margin of victory ever" over its rival singing competition during ABC's nine-season run. The strong ratings performance also helped propel ABC to a win for the night on broadcast and cable.

  • The Hollywood Week episode aired on February 23, 2026.
  • It was the first part of Hollywood Week, with contestants vying to make the Top 30.

The players

American Idol

A long-running singing competition show that airs on ABC.

The Voice

A rival singing competition show that airs on NBC.

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The takeaway

The move to Nashville for American Idol's Hollywood Week has breathed new life into the long-running singing competition, delivering its best ratings performance since the season premiere and helping the show outpace its rival The Voice. This surge in viewership could signal a turnaround for the franchise as it navigates the competitive reality TV landscape.