Victoria Beckham - Pictured with: Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell - Audition Cities: ...Victoria Beckham - Pictured with: Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell - Audition Cities: ... Mary J. Blige - Pictured with: Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell - Audition ...Mary J. Blige - Pictured with: Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell - Audition ...

Toronto, ON (January 13, 2010) – Nine seasons in, AMERICAN IDOL returned to CTV last night with its biggest premiere audience ever. A record-high 3.2 million viewers tuned in for opening night, an increase of 25% compared to the Season 8 premiere last January. It was the #1 program of the day nationally and in the metered markets with all three key adult demos. An astonishing 8 million viewers tuned in to some or all of the show while 1.6 million viewers watched from CTV’s key A25-54 demo.

AMERICAN IDOL delivered 36% more viewers from 8-9 p.m. than NCIS (Global, 2.15 million viewers) and over two million viewers more than NCIS: Los Angeles from 9-10 p.m. (Global, 1.4 million).

AMERICAN IDOL propelled LAW & ORDER: SVU to one of its highest audiences of the season at 10 p.m. on CTV. It was the #3 program of the night with 1.66 million viewers.

Last night’s two-hour premiere featured Victoria Beckham as the first in a series of celebrity guest judges lending their talents during the audition tour. Part 2 of the Season 9 premiere airs tonight at a special time, 7:30 p.m. ET on CTV, as auditions continue in Atlanta with celebrity guest judge Mary J. Blige joining the panel (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times).

CTV, Canada's Olympic Network, is also Canada's largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada’s most-watched television network. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country and owns or has interests in leading national specialty channels, featuring news, sports, factual, arts, entertainment, music, youth and fashion programming. CTV Inc. is owned by CTVglobemedia Inc.Canada’s premier multi-media company, which also owns Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. CTV is the official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. More information about CTV may be found on the network’s website at www.ctv.ca.