'OSBOURNES' Viewership Down

MTV's reigning hit "The Osbournes" plummeted in its third-season premiere Tuesday, luring just more than half the audience that tuned in to last season's debut episode, according to CNN.com.

This season's premiere drew a 3.3 rating in its target age group of viewers 12-34, down from a 6.2 in the same demographic for the previous season's bow. The 10:30 p.m. episode drew a 3.2 household rating and 3.4 million total viewers, down from a 5.2 rating and 6.6 million viewers for the second-season debut.

Despite the steep drop, the ratings were still respectable by cable programming standards. Last season, "The Osbournes" averaged a 4.5 rating in 12-34.