The producers recognized the need for change, and did something about it: out with Simon Cowell, daytime TV show hosts and anonymous songwriters as judges, and in with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez to add some real music/celebrity cred to the proceedings.
Bloomberg reports the changes seem to have worked, so far, as the show is averaging 25 million viewers a night, matching last year’s numbers. The program has lost viewers since 2007.
"I'm surprised as anyone the show's bounced back," Hal Vogel, a media analyst in New York, told Bloomberg.com. "The new judges appear to appeal to a wide demographic. It's likely the show really does have more life left — longer than I'd expected."
Although season 10 started with a 12 percent drop in viewers in January, Fox ratings began to exceed the prior year's episodes on February 3, according to Nielsen data supplied by the network.
Since then, new judges Lopez and Tyler have grown more comfortable on air, and the contestants have drawn higher vote totals than last season, underscoring the larger audience and higher-quality contestants, Preston Beckman, executive vice president of strategic programming at Fox, said in an interview.
Check out the full story at Bloomberg here.
American Idol James Durbin - Living For The City
Original by Stevie Wonder
American Idol – March 23, 2011
See also:
Iggy Pop: American Idol judge?
VIDEO: James Durbin rocks The Beatles on American Idol
VIDEO: Stevie Wonder sings Happy Birthday to Steven Tyler on American Idol
VIDEO: James Durbin rocks Elton John on American Idol
VIDEO: James Durbin rocks Stevie Wonder on American Idol
VIDEO: James Durbin rocks Bon Jovi on American Idol
