Jordin Sparks' win was big, but not Taylor Big or Ruben Big

Final national figures saw the audience for Wednesday's (May 23) "American Idol" finale rise to an average of 30.7 million viewers, still down dramatically from last season.

Due to the fact that Jordin Sparks' official coronation as the sixth "American Idol" winner didn't come until after 10 p.m. ET, "Idol" viewership was adjusted from 29.5 million in fast national figures to 30.7 million in the final national (live plus same-day viewership) tally. The show's rating among adults 18-49 went from an 11.1 rating to an 11.5 rating.

While those numbers dominated the night and added an extra bit of relish to FOX's already preordained May sweeps victory, they were still off rather dramatically from last season's "American Idol" finale. When Taylor Hicks topped Katharine McPhee, the two-hour show averaged 36.4 million viewers and delivered a 14.2 rating in the 18-49 demo. FOX claimed last year's finale was the network's most-watched night of entertainment programming ever, though it wasn't even the most viewed "Idol" finale ever. The 2003 showdown between Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken was broken into an hour-long pre-show and an hour-long finale, with that second hour drawing 38 million viewers and a 16.2 rating in the 18-49 demo.

Pundits could probably spend hours debating whether or not the recent "Idol" ratings decline indicates a drop in might for the talent juggernaut, but by Thursday afternoon, FOX had put out a release containing the following pieces of information: The "American Idol" Tuesday and Wednesday shows ended the 2006-07 series as the No. 1 and No. 2 programs on television in total viewers, adults 18-49, adults 18-34, adults 25-54, teens and all key female demos. This was the fourth straight season that "Idol" installments have ranked in the top two positions among adults 18-49, the longest run at No. 1 for any program in the demo in 20 years. FOX also added a number of racial and economic demographics dominated by "Idol" this season, but we're sure you get the point.