Fox's 'American Idol' hits ratings low

A recent time slot switch is not paying dividends for Fox's lurching "American Idol."

The Nielsen company says "Idol" last Thursday reached a smaller audience than for all but one week during its rookie season in the summer of 2002. The 8.4 million viewers barely qualified the show for Nielsen's top 20.

Experts blame viewer fatigue for the ratings, a factor common for long-running shows. Fox recently moved "American Idol" to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, trying to boost its audience.

Among competition shows, both "Dancing With the Stars" and "The Voice" had bigger audiences last week.

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