'Idol' ready for 2011 tune-up.(American Idol)

Can "American Idol" be saved? And for Fox, does it matter?

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Execs at the network, of course, would say "yes" to both questions. But there's a reason the network backed the Brinks truck up to Simon Cowell's driveway earlier this year.

After looking at the Wednesday night ratings for "American idol's" ninth season finale, Fox execs are likely breathing a sigh of relief that they've got Cowell and his new series, "The X Factor," on tap for fall 2011.

"Idol's" 2010 swan song, in which 24-year-old Lee DeWyze was named this year's champ, put up big numbers, as usual. But the show logged its lowest-ever demo scores for a finale and its smallest overall audience for a season-ender--a little more than 24 million--since its first edition in summer 2002.

According to national estimates from Nielsen, the "Idol" finale averaged an 8.2 rating/24 share in adults 18-49 and 24.2 million viewers overall from 8 to 10:07 p.m., with the final seven minutes surging to 34.4 million viewers. From 8 to 10 p.m., Fox beat the combined delivery of the mostly repeat …