American Idol Judges All Axed, Show Makeover Up – FOX
Mariah Carey, rapper Niki Minaj and country star Keith Urban, as well as pioneer judge Randy Jackson are all going to be replaced by Fox, The Wrap reports.
An American Idol insider also said that rumored come back of Jennifer Lopez is also impossible. "All four are gone. They (FOX) feel they've lost their core audience and they want it back."
The decision was said to be in line also with FOX's goal of targeting a younger audience market for American Idol's next season.
Fox come to the point of decision to address the show's declining ratings. The ratings were said to be down 22% for this season and have gotten the lowest ratings for its Thursday episode where there were only 11 million viewers.
The Wrap said that the ratings slide is especially problematic during May Sweeps, where ratings numbers are used to dictate advertising rates.
The said decline in American Idol's viewership is compared to its season 6 where there were 30 million viewers per episode.
Fox executives, despite of the decline in viewership, has no plans of canceling the show.
Kantar Media agrees on this decision. It said that "American Idol is still a huge revenue generator for Fox, bringing in $836.4 million in ad revenue last year. It has nothing to replace it. The X Factor is far from being the American Idol heir apparent after failing to meet ratings expectations over its first two seasons. It too, is undergoing another round of changes for Season 3, with pop star Britney Spears and record executive L.A. Reid not returning."
Although the four judges were given options to still be with the show for the next season, Fox is putting its foot on the ground that there would be "No more big checks for divas" the insider said.
Fox executives seemed to have learned their lessons the hard way when they reportedly pay Mariah Carey an whopping $18 milllion talent fee, $12 million for Niki Minaj and 15 million for Jennifer Lopez.
The insider has also leaked that the audience will see a totally reformatted show come next season. The "look" will undergo overhaul and the show will no longer have its dated tribute nights.
Despite of all the drastic changes that Fox plans for American Idol's next season, it assures its fans that the shows much awaited audition episodes will continue.
Fox Broadcasting Chairman Kevin Reilly was designated to give American Idol its new package while rumor has it that seasoned Executive Producer Lythgoe is to be replaced.
The blow on American Idol was said to be rooted on the rise of its competitor - NBC's The Voice. Salt is added to the wound when The Voice replaced American Idol on its spot among the nominees for the Outstanding Reality Competition category.
Fox and Fremantle refused to give comment about the whole issue. Neither representative for Keith Urban obliges for an interview.
The official spokesperson for Fox also refuses interview.
The Wrap is still awaiting response from representatives of Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey and Niki Minaj.