NEW YORK -- The second night of "American Idol" delivered an unexpected gift to Fox: a bigger audience.

An estimated 30.5 million people tuned in Wednesday to television's most popular program, up from the 30.3 million the night before for the eighth season opener.

Nielsen Media Research said it's the first time in five years that the audience increased from the first night to the second, a development Fox attributes to good word of mouth about the first night.

"We're thrilled," said Mike Darnell, chief of alternative programming at Fox.