I’m not trying to question JH’s intent because I think she’s coming at it from a good place,  but I gotta think that Wow!, the numbers of x-idols are adding up! Not all of them are Super stars (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood), or big stars (Daughtry, … Hudson, Kelli Pickler)  but look at so many others earning a living… Lambert making big bucks with Queen and his own album.   Jordin Sparks just had a high profile movie role.

David cook had commercial Success beyond his first album and he’s not quite gone yet.  Kris Allen has put out a couple albums and evidently has written some songs for others?Crystal Bowersox is putting out her second album and might be getting a bit of a following in a niche of country music as trust develops that she’s not a hippy (: ) I’m exaggerating   but also rans like Bucky Convinton and Kristi Lee Cook still cooking.  High finishers like Jason Castro and Casey Jones are still in the public eye … Castro selling decently well I guess in christian radio along with the just out of the gates: Colton Dixon… Archiletto makes money singing still.. I think he had big tours again recently in the far east?And I haven’t even mentioned a dozen others still earning money in the entertainment business in niche markets (Reuben Steudart is still singing – as is Elliot Yamin who didn’t win it – Taylor Hicks with a Las Vegas show he never would have had a shot at without the american idol anointment) and others starting careers with low selling first albums but strong core fan followings – Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Turbin from season 10 alone, behind Scotty McCreery and Lauren who had good selling first albums and higher profile tours.The alumni group just keeps expanding …. and well,  I know Jenifer Hudson has come far far too far with successes in multiple areas to gain buzz from the idol association,  at some point,  either the buzz loses steam or other artists move from disdain of artists that took a short cut to maybe even a kind of anger at that method crowding other routes out?I don’t know that I expressed that right and I think the consequence hasn’t really formed in my mind.  Still,  it is growing to a lot of people whatever that means.  12 years,  3, 4 or 5 a year from each show that find a place for 10 years.. 50 or so maybe out there earning a living in a fields that only have so much attention to go around ?

Why is 15 the magic number? And who are the major partners? American Idol is listed as “A sure thing” on TV Line’s renewal scorecard, so contrary to my hopes, it’s probably not ending after this season. But I’ll settle for 15.

Why is 15 the magic number?

Amortization of intangible assets.

Seriously. On the balance sheet of American Idol’s owner (which is now Apollo Global Management), Idol is an asset that follows a set amortization schedule. Around S15, its balance-sheet value hits zero. This has NOTHING to do with the quality of the show, its viewers, or its ad revenues — it’s an accounting thing. But it’s an important accounting thing, as a company ordinarily needs assets to borrow against.

Around S15, Apollo has two basic options. One is to keep Idol as a “cash cow,” which means the show needs to generate lots and lots of cash (so, profits way above costs). I think it actually has to do that anyway, because Apollo stuck it in an investment fund, which usually means the asset needs to be paying a high return. The second option is to sell Idol to a new buyer, which restarts the clock on the value of the asset. Without getting a lot more involved in accounting minutiae, I don’t know which is the way to go. But S15 is re-evaluation time, either way.