FOX to Air AMERICAN IDOL For Six More Seasons?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the long-running FOX singing competition AMERICAN IDOL could be on the air for as many as six more seasons. At an investor conference on Thursday, a top network exec revealed that the show could last all the way to a season 17. 

David Haslingden, president of Fox Networks Group revealed that the network was "absolutely committed" to the show and that he is prepared to "throw all resources" at working on a ratings improvement in the future. "This is still the number one non-sport show in the United States," he reminded reporters. "It’s delivering an average audience across this year's 55 hours of 19 million people. This is a huge powerhouse show. So, I would say that any network executive in the country or probably in the world would love to be sitting up here, saying we have this franchise and we’re dealing with the fact that its ratings are off a bit."

The FOX exec called the show "an American staple" with a great amount of brand loyalty. "We’re actually optimistic that we will arrest its ratings decline and this show is going to continue on," said Haslingden. "We are optimistic it’s going to continue on for 15, 16, 17 seasons."