‘American Idol’ Changes Its Time Slot, May Soon Face ‘X Factor’ Rivalry
American Idol is changing its time slot for its ninth season, and in typical Fox fashion, the scheduling masterminds are doing pretty much everything possible to prompt a national DVR meltdown—all in the name of trying to build viewership for a couple of the network’s new shows. Is Fox also preparing for the long-anticipated American debut of Simon Cowell’s British cash machine, The X Factor? Time slot info and more after the jump.
Idol premieres on Tuesday January 12 at 8 p.m. with a two-hour audition round. It continues the next day, Wednesday January 13 at 8 p.m., with a one-hour episode, followed by a new Fox reality competition show, Our Little Genius at 9 p.m. (Looks like the condescending game show What Do Kids Know? from Magnolia is becoming a reality.) The schedule is the same the following week, with Idol on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m., it’s most common time slot for the last eight years. But the big shift comes January 27, when Idol will start on Wednesdays at 9 p.m., with a new action/drama called Human Target leading in at 8 p.m.
Though Idol has survived plenty of ups and downs, the ninth season is looking especially pivotal from a TV biz standpoint—it may be the last season before it faces intra-network competition from none other than Simon himself. His Idol contract ends in May, and the Times of London reports that, after endless speculation, Cowell’s British hit The X Factor will be begin filming in Los Angeles in September 2011.” Reports indicate it will air on Fox. Is Idol‘s future starting to sound a little pitchy?