Did you know?: American Idol finale audience hits an all-time low

The finale of American Idol drew the lowest viewership in its 13-year history, with 10.6 million viewers.

The finale of Fox’s singing reality show American Idol drew the lowest viewership in its 13-year history, with 10.6 million viewers, 25 per cent below last year’s audience, according to ratings figures compiled by Nielsen on Thursday.

The show, which crowned North Carolina singer Caleb Johnson the winner in a two-hour finale on Wednesday night, was once an industry powerhouse for Fox, watched by more than 30 million viewers at its peak. But it has steadily declined in ratings in recent years, averaging around 8 million viewers per episode over the latest season, despite featuring celebrity judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr.

Last year, the finale garnered 14.2 million viewers, the first time the show’s end failed to draw 20 million people, despite bringing in high-priced celebrity judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Urban to boost sagging ratings.

American Idol will be scaled back for its next season from approximately 50 hours to 37 hours, Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s Fox Broadcasting entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly said earlier this month.

Last year, longtime American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe was fired from the show because of low ratings and replaced by Swedish Per Blankens.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2014.

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