It’s no surprise, as American Idol has been promoting online auditions for next season, but ABC has renewed the competition reality show for Season 19, and a 4th season on the network.
However, the pickup comes without new deals for judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie and host Ryan Seacrest. As fans usually do, we’ll wait out the summer for news on who is returning to the series (and the size of their new contracts!)
The judges eventually signed deals to return in August, while Ryan announced his deal in September 2019. It goes without saying that the talent deals are the most expensive part of the Fremantle/19 Entertainment production.
If the world wasn’t shut down right now due to the coronavirus pandemic, the advertising upfronts would be happening this week in New York City. News on renewals and cancellations have been a little erratic this season. On Sunday (May 16) American Idol will air its season finale using remote technology, with the judges, host, mentor, band and contestants filming from home.
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American Idol’s linear ratings have declined a little this season. With a week of delayed viewing, Sunday episodes average a 1.5 rating in the key 18-49 demo and 8.41 million viewers, down from 1.7 and 9.1 million last season. However, it’s worth noting that once the show went remote, the ratings crashed (as did ratings for The Voice) ABC says, however, that Idol’s 35-day, multi-platform numbers among adults 18-49 are up 23 percent year to year.
