Why American Idol is getting less viewers

Thursday and Friday mornings are usually when American Idol fans in the Philippines listen to the performance and the fate of Jessica Sanchez, the 16-year-old Filipino-Mexican-American contestant on the hit TV show. But producers of American Idol, now on its 11th season, are usually on the alert for updates on the live show’s audience share, which has been declining by as much as 30%. A New York Times report showed that declining ratings among a key market — the 18- to 49-year-olds — has been experienced across all networks. It said a “tipping point” seemed to be emerging: Viewing behavior has been changing with the introduction of built-up libraries, or those catch up episodes of a TV series that hook viewers preparing to watch the live finale on TV. Idol’s ratings would dip when their key audience are into nonlinear viewing.

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