Ryan Seacrest doesn't see American Idol ever ending again

The Hollywood Reporter

As Idol kicks off its 20th season overall on Sunday and celebrates its 20th anniversary in June, Seacrest sees Idol as being an ongoing TV program, like sports and the news. "When we were in the beginning of it and the numbers were 20 million, 25 million — the finales at 40 million, crazy numbers — to look back at that, it seems like it was a fantasy world," Seacrest tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Look at the numbers that a show can generate today. But I think, with all the fragmentation, it’s something that everyone experiences, something that we have expected. And hopefully, with more and more platforms, there’s an opportunity for more eyeballs to see the show. When the streamers first started, it was just a scripted format that you’d see. Now you get live programming and sports on streamers as well. I think that that’s probably where American Idol lives one day. Yes, the audiences are fragmented and there are fewer of them in one place, but I really feel like this is the kind of show that has a home somewhere for as long as people want to produce it and make it — as long as people want to audition for it. I don’t think there’s any shortage of young talent every year that’s looking for a big break who just don’t know how to get to an audition in Hollywood or Nashville or Austin or New York. That will never run out, and therefore I think this format and this series has the opportunity to live with generations and have other generations grow up watching it to try to be the next winner."

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