After a brief upswing a few episodes back, American Idol ratings have once again plunged to a record low. FOX CEO Chasey Carey recently said that the once dominating reality singing competition is “winding down,” and these numbers certainly prove his point.
In an effort to stem the tide, American Idol 2014 producers have thrown everything they have at this show for season 13. They switched up the judges once again and moved veteran Randy Jackson from the panel to a mentor role. Hollywood Week and the new semifinals Rush Week were stuffed full of new twists and format changes. Nothing, however, has managed to keep American Idol ratings from continuing to slip.
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Part of the blame for the failing ratings is due to still competition right now from the Sochi Winter Olympics. Although ratings for the Olympics are also down for NBC this year, they are still winning against American Idol by a landslide during the hours they compete.
On Thursday night’s American Idol results show for the Top 13, TVbytheNumbers.com reports the show only nabbed a 2.4 average rating for viewers in the advertiser-coveted 18 to 49 age group. This was a historic low for an American Idol Thursday night voting results show, and was down a whopping 20 percent from the previous Thursday night.
While it is likely ratings will rise for American Idol season 13 once the Olympics are over and the finale draws closer, it’s doubtful we’ll see a huge upswing in numbers. We have to wonder how many more years the show can last at this rate.