Has the bubble burst? The second series of The Osbournes has suffered a ratings slump in America. Last week’s episode won only 3.5million listeners for MTV – down from 6.75 million for the series launch – the first series pulling in 8 million at its peak.
But the show might pick up again after this weekend’s Super Bowl. The family Osbourne appear in the latest Pepsi ad campaign which will premiere during American Football’s big event. More than 100 million viewers are expected to see the 45-second advert where Ozzy wakes up from a nightmare sequence where his children become Donny and Marie Osmond to find he is in bed with the actress who played Carol Brady in 1970s sitcom the Brady Bunch. The ad may do as much for the family’s TV show that the new Pepsi drink it is advertising.
Elsewhere in the world of US TV ratings the premiere edition of the second series of US Pop Idol pulled in 26.5 million viewers last week – making it the highest-rated night of entertainment programming in the network's history. It seems the Americans are yet to tire of reality pop bands.