“American Idol” worshippers flocked to Fox in record numbers Tuesday night.

The return of… “American Idol” worshippers flocked to Fox in record numbers Tuesday night.

The return of the musical talent search show attracted 26.5 million viewers from 8 to 9:30 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research, giving Fox its largest audience ever for a night of entertainment programming.

“It’s pretty staggering,” said Gail Berman, president of Fox Television Entertainment. “It shows you the power of broadcast television when you have something people want to watch.”

Indeed, the audience peaked in the 9 p.m. half-hour when 30 million were tuned in. For the night, Fox averaged 25.7 million, topping runner-up CBS which averaged 13.2 million.

Berman attributed some of the success to the Fox affiliate stations, which played a big role in promoting the second “American Idol.”

For example, local news crews from Fox stations followed contestants who traveled to the eight cities where auditions for the show were held.

And those stations were beating the drum for “Idol” in the weeks leading up to the premiere.

Because the 16-year-old Fox has existed mostly in an era of expanded cable channel choices and smaller network audiences, it has never drawn as many viewers as it did Tuesday without a Super Bowl or World Series telecast.

The audience for the second “American Idol” opener was larger than for the September finale of the first version, when the show faced weaker summer competition.

Coupled with the potent ratings of Fox’s reality hit “Joe Millionaire,” the arrival of “American Idol” could mean a turnaround for the network.

“American Idol” attracted 30 percent of the advertiser-desired viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 watching television in the show’s Tuesday time period.

If “Idol” even comes close to that level during the rest of its run, Fox has a shot at finishing No. 2 behind NBC for the season with the 18-49 audience.

Going into January, Fox was lagging behind CBS and ABC in the category.

“It puts Fox squarely in the game again,” said Steve Sternberg, executive vice president for ad-buying firm Magna Global USA. “I would expect ABC to drift back a little bit because Football is not on. CBS will surge again when ‘Survivor’ comes back. I think it will be neck and neck between CBS and Fox.”