American Idol Reboot Eyed at ABC
Is this… American Idol (again)?
ABC has reportedly made a bid to revive the hit singing competition, according to TMZ. The network reached out to Fremantle, Idol‘s production company, and offered to buy the franchise and reboot it for a planned March 2018 premiere.
ABC also tried to get the show moved to New York, in an attempt to bring back original host Ryan Seacrest, who’s moving to NYC to co-host Live with Kelly Ripa. But Fremantle insisted the show has to stay in L.A. — and Seacrest is reportedly too busy with Live to return to Idol anyway.
If this all sounds familiar, it should: NBC and Fox both considered reviving Idol earlier this year, but those plans were scrapped due to an internal battle between Fremantle and co-producers Core Media Group. Those plans might start back up again, though, if Fremantle can get Core to agree to negotiate with ABC, which could bring NBC and Fox back into the fold for a good old-fashioned network bidding war.
RELATEDReport: American Idol Revival Not Moving Forward at NBC or Fox
The prize is a big one: Idol ran for 15 seasons on Fox, smashing ratings records with eight straight years as TV’s top-rated program.
Would you tune in for an Idol reboot? Drop your thoughts — in whatever key you like — in a comment below.
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