American Idol Takes Voting Online
Transcript by Newsy.com BY BRICE SANDER You’re watching multisource entertainment news analysis from Newsy Calling in a vote for American Idol? So 2010. This year- naming the next American Idol is just a click away — with online voting. While other reality shows — like Dancing with the Stars — have always had online voting, AI avoided it. The show relied on phone calls or AT&T customer texts from its millions of viewers. (Fox) But you won’t head to American Idol’s official site to cast your vote. You’ll just log onto Facebook. Entertainment Weekly welcomes the addition of Facebook voting, saying Idol already survived its biggest challenge. “With Idol still dominating in the ratings and viewers embracing Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez as judges, the industry consensus seems to be that the show has managed to pull off something that many thought impossible — soldiering on successfully in the wake of Cowell’s departure.” American Idol’s ratings have slipped a little since Cowell’s exit. But a Time Magazine Techland blogger sees the addition of Facebook — which will give viewers 50 votes instead of the usual ten — as the right move if producers want to boost audience interest. “…this new method could give ‘Idol’ an even bigger ratings kick. And ex-Idol judge Simon Cowell seems to think Facebook voting is a good plan, too — it was leaked that he’ll be using the same method when his new show, ‘X Factor,’ debuts this fall.” But the addition of online voting has some …
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