American Idol has taken a little bit of a bit of a hit in the ratings. It reached a smaller audience last week, reaching only 5.4 million viewers, according to the Nielsen company.
This barely put the show into Nielsen’s top 20 for the week. According to Associated Press, Brad Adgate, an analyst for Horizon Media, "For a show on that long, there's going to be viewer fatigue.”
Even with the shift in ratings, American Idol is still Fox's most popular show. The network can take steps to improve the ratings. Adgate said that the network will bring back judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. It is also possible that American Idol will play for fewer hours.
The 13th season has seen many great moments, though, with judges like Jennifer Lopez and Ryan Seacrest bringing star power to the show. According to Billboard, a Fox representative said earlier in March, “Thirteen seasons in, Idol is still a top 10 show on television, which is an amazing feat in and of itself. We -- along with millions of fans -- love how the show has come together creatively this season, and it continues to be an extremely valuable asset for the foreseeable future.”