The computers that tabulate "Jeopardy" ratings must be in awe of their distant cousin, Watson.
The matchup between the IBM trivia machine and human contestants Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter scored the show an average three-night household rating of 9.1/17, the show's highest in years. Its ratings were bested Wednesday only by "American Idol"'s, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers.
Also read: Trivia Machine Wins 'Jeopardy'
On Tuesday, "Jeopardy" scored a 9.5 household rating in overnight metered markets — its highest score in nearly six years. Tuesday’s episode was up 9 percent from Monday’s, which scored an 8.7 HH rating. Wednesday had a 9.1/17, the same as the three-day average.
The number of total viewers was not yet available.
Watson's two-game total was $77,147, which means IBM will receive $1 million to give to charity. Jennings and Rutter will get $300,000 and $200,000, respectively, and each will give half to charity.
"Jeopardy" and IBM did not respond to queries by TheWrap about whether the company is paying "Jeopardy" for the in-show product placement.