After months of speculation, stalled and then re-started talks, ‘American Idol’ is officially being revived.
Following a heated bidding war, ABC announced this morning that they have won the rights to air the next incarnation of the singing competition
As widely reported, FOX – who aired the original show for 15 seasons – was very interested as was NBC.
Ultimately, though, it’s ABC who secured the broadcast privileges from Idol’s joint owners Freemantle and Core Media Group.
And while it was thought that Idol was being readied for a 2018 return, there’s talk that that it may be back on air this year and form a central part of ABC’s 2017-18 schedule.
Speaking on the network’s major coup, Channing Dungey – the president of ABC Entertainment – said:
“American Idol is a pop-culture staple that left the air too soon. ABC is the right home to reignite the fan base. We are thrilled viewers will once again share in these inspiring stories of people realizing their dreams.”
Ben Sherwood – co-chairman of ABC’s parent company Disney – chimed in and promised a “bigger, bolder and better-than-ever Idol.” He added:
“American Idol on ABC… that has a nice ring to it. Idol is an entertainment icon, and now it will air where it belongs, in ABC’s lineup of addictive fan favorites alongside Dancing With the Stars and The Bachelor.
There’s no formal word on a host, but it’s notable that Ryan Seacrest recently signed on the new co-host of Live With Kelly – housed on ABC.
Word on the curb is that the network plans to bend backwards to accommodate Seacrest’s schedule so as to facilitate his Idol comeback.
***********
On the one hand this is a major touchdown for ABC, who’ve struggled to make any kind of mark in the reality singing arena. Indeed, while they’ve sunk with titles such as ‘Rising Star,’ NBC and FOX scored wins with the likes of ‘The Voice’ and the original ‘Idol.’
Still, one has to wonder how the new revival will fare.
Internally, the reported feeling was that Idol ended prematurely because it just became too expensive to produce (thanks largely to the superstar judges it courted). However, there’s no denying that ratings were on a downward spiral and that it struggled to yield stars on the caliber of Fantasia (pictured), Kelly Clarkson, and Jennifer Hudson. A natural reality, arguably, given how long the show was on air.
People gravitate towards “newness,” as such it’ll be interesting to see whether a new network and likely changes to the format will be enough to entice viewers back. Or are folk just over such shows in general?
What do you think?
If it’s gonna come back it needs to go back to the old format. All of these singing competitions are the same and filled with actors. The great thing about American idol when it started was It not being scripted… Or at least you didn’t notice. They produced stars.
Left the air too soon? Idol stayed on the air about 10 years longer than it should have. I hope ABC loses its shirt on this waste of money. It’s obvious now that viewers are more interested in the journey to fame than the aftermath. Few remain committed to these contestants once the season is over.
The music industry was every different when American idol premiered in 2002. They need to incorporate youtube, streaming, and more original material. They need to go back to the old bad auditions instead of the nicey nice stuff they were doing in the last years, and they need a more interesting panel of judges than the ones they had most recently.
but why…? it ran its course and it doesn’t offer anything new. the winners and contestants from the last few seasons didn’t really go anywhere.
They had some decent contestants in the later years like Candice Glover and Jessica Sanchez, but the public interest just wasn’t there. Hopefully the new panel has some real vocalists and not has beens or “singers” who never met a backing track they didn’t like
Frank Gatson should be a judge for American Idol. 4 reason.
1. When he met Beyonce, He called her the second coming of Michael Jackson
2. He has worked with most top Artist. short List (MJ, Beyonce, Usher, Rihanna, R Kelly, Maxwell, Toni Braxton, JlO. Destiny Child, EnVogue, Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Maxwell, Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin, Rupaul, Tevin Campbell, TLC, SWV, Kanye West, Jay Z, Jussie Smollett, Chris Brown, Trevor Jackson, Brandy, Monica, June’s Diary, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Willams, Ciara, Debra C**, Carl Thomas, Fantasia and many others
3. Been is show business since 1985 and is still current
4. Has many awards..