Posted on 05/17/2013 2:10:35 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The bad dream of a season for Fox’s “American Idol” ended Thursday with a ratings nightmare, as the singing competition lost a staggering 7 million viewers from last season’s finale.
Thursday’s finale, in which Candice Glover won the coveted prize, averaged 14.3 million viewers, according to overnight ratings.
That’s down a third from more than 21 million last year — and the news gets worse.
Two years ago the finale had more than 29 million viewers, meaning “Idol” has shed half its audience in two years.
And from Fox’s viewpoint, that’s not even the worst number. Thursday’s share of the 18- to 49-year-old viewers most coveted by advertisers went into free-fall, dropping 44% from last year.
Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly, speaking earlier this week before the network’s annual “upfront” presentation of its fall schedule to advertisers, said the producers will go to work “Friday morning” to consider ways to stem the audience exodus.
Original judge Randy Jackson has already said he will not return next year, a decision Reilly said was “mutual, with absolutely no hard feelings on either side.”
Judge Nicki Minaj was reported leaving at midweek, and it is widely expected remaining judges Mariah Carey and Keith Urban will also depart.
Reilly said it is “likely” the show will revert to a three-judge panel next year.
But he also said he thought the audience erosion was tied less to the judges than to the format. He said the “boy/girl” episodes in midseason were not well watched, suggesting there will be some changes next year.
At its peak in 2006, the “Idol” finale drew more than 36 million viewers, and for years the finales drew more than 30 million, making it the most popular non-sports broadcast TV show of the 21st century.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
I think if Angie had been in the final two, they would have had more viewers...
True. But Fabian didn’t need over 60 (That’s not a typo) vocal tracks comped with Autotune/Melodyne on each and every one to get a performance either. He could carry a tune sans 4 engineers and a computer doing pitch correction.
And she STILL sounds like a strangled rat.
I don’t speak Ghetto Jive so I couldn’t understand what the judges were saying. This year was pathetic.
Pray for America to Wake Up
Oh I know. I do it as a hobby ;)
So, if one's a fan, one must mourn the loss of the 7 million Americans Idle in front of the idiot box, yes?
I loved the show up until the last few years. The top ten finalists seem to be predestined and most of them were so polished that I expected their agents to be in the audience with the family. Maybe some new real judges and not professional bootlicks will help in the future.
Just to clarify...Do the autotune/vocal correction part, not the ‘starmaker’ bit ;)
Bingo!
I haven’t watched American Idol since the judges were Randy, Simon & Paula. And even then I only tuned in partially. Now, I don’t even know who the judges are other than Randy, who I heard is leaving.
She can sing? Who knew?
Manufactured stars. During the pioneering Fabian’s times it was done behind the scenes, by cigar chomping mafiosos, plus Dick Clark, Allen Klein, and a few others, dee jays, promoters, distributors. Now it is shamelessly performed in full view of the national audience who is made a participant in the manufacturing process. You pick ‘em, you buy ‘em, how democratic! Why should Dick Clark alone decide that you’re gonna like Bobby Rydell? No fair, anyone can do it! Anyone can participate in stupidity!
They lost their viewership because of the blatant manipulation of the show this year. They stacked the deck against any male advancing into the top 5 and eliminated eye candy for the younger viewers.
If Candice was such a great singer, why did it take her 3 years of auditioning for Idol to make the top 10? its because she fit the Idol mold for who they wanted to win this year. They really wanted Amber, but she fell apart on them, so they started pimping Candice big time.
The largest viewership was in 2006? That was the year Taylor Hicks won and they threw him under the bus after his win in favor of who they really wanted to win - Chris Daughtery. He got the winner’s treatment after his elimination and they are actually treating Angie the same way - releasing her single, signing her to a deal, etc. even though she came in 3rd place. The viewership would not have risen if she had been in the finale. She was voted out in 3rd place - her fan base couldn’t pull her into the top 2.
At least when Simon Cowell, who also couldn’t sing, was a judge the vierwship was up. But, it was evident the last 2 years on the show that he was bored. Randy Jackson also can’t sing a lick,but did fairly good at choosing talent for the show.
They need to spend the money getting better songs for the contestants and not pay the worthless female divas so much money to sit there and look pretty and say stupid things. Nicki isn’t in this category - she was rude and childish, as well as stupid, but she did make some good points.
Like Zappa said, we were better off with the old guys chomping on cigars deciding who the artists were going to be, rather than the young hipsters who think they know what the kids want to hear.
vocal calisthenics from each singer.. ughh...all trying to one-up is each other with various snorts, trills, yips and yehaws!..
it’s sickening truly sickening and it’s not singing.. it’s exercising. might as well be pumping iron.
lastly it’s not faithful to the song and melody and lyric.
I truly hate this show and also : The Voice.
Why sing one note, when you can sing ten?
I agree with all of your points. They wanted a female winner for some reason, maybe because of getting mocked for “white guys with guitars” winners so many years in a row. I remember seasons 4 and 5 fondly. They were fun to watch.
I liked the show better back when it was called, “The Gong Show.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.