Is 'American Idol' on its way out? Declining ratings, expensive production could see show in the way of 'The X Factor'

On Friday (Feb. 7), FOX announced that its second reality singing competition, The X Factor, would no longer be a part of the channel's line up after three seasons on air, due to struggling ratings and expensive production costs. Following the news of that cancellation, could the channel's former ratings juggernaut American Idol be next?

According to Digital Spy, the answer is yes. According to a press conference with FOX president Chase Carey, Idol is quite possibly approaching its end as it airs its 13th season.

"We know American Idol is winding down," he said, citing the channel being in a "transition" period and the fact that the program's ratings have fallen faster than executives have anticipated.

Though American Idol was once seen as an unbeatable time slot, with its Wednesday and Thursday night time slots, the show has taken a nose dive in recent years. Idol reached a ratings high in its season six premiere in 2008, with an astronomical 37 million viewers.

Comparatively, last season's finale reached 14.3 million viewers in May, and season 13 opened to 15.2 million viewers last month.

With expensive production values and pricey celebrity judges (Jennifer Lopez reportedly netted $17.5 million for her latest sting on the show), Idol could just be too much for FOX to maintain, as major sponsors such as AT&T, drop the program.

The struggle to find a new groove for Idol is reflected heavily in the 13th season, as new features are added continually to the show, including the audition "chamber," airplane hangar cuts before Hollywood week and the upcoming Idol "boot camp" featuring show alumni Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert.

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American Idol, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr.