"American Idol" Beats Olympics in Ratings

The Olympics are doing well in the television ratings, but still can't unseat "American Idol."

Fox's powerhouse competition was seen by 23.6 million viewers Tuesday night. The Nielsen Co. said that during the same two hours, the Olympics averaged 19.7 million viewers.

Special Report: 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver Daily Dispatch
Winter Olympics Medal Count

Once "Idol" was out of the picture, more people switched to the Olympics, enough so its average audience increased to 20.3 million for the night.

Wednesday may offer more competition, with snowboarder Shaun White set to appear for the first time in NBC's prime time.

Photos: Vancouver Olympics: Day 1
Photos: Vancouver Olympics: Day 2
Photos: Vancouver Olympics: Day 3
Photos: Vancouver Olympics: Day 4