Courtesy of New York Time

“American Idol” will officially be ending after its 15th season due to declined ratings and lack of funding

Fox network announced Monday, May 11, that the upcoming 15th season of “American Idol” will be its last.

First airing on June 11, 2002, the show drew nearly 30 million viewers and gained steady momentum in the seasons after. However, over the past few years, the show has seen a substantial decline in viewers, ratings, and cultural influence.

In 2013, the season hit an all-time low and since then, averaged roughly 11 million viewers and a rating of 2.7 according to TheWrap. In addition, the network has struggled financially in supporting the program. TheWrap also stated that the show lost its two most valuable sponsors in a span of one year. AT&T left in 2014 and Coca-Cola left in December that same year. While Ford still remains as one of their sponsors, they have significantly dialed back their investments.

The show has become much too expensive to run: it requires a full-time auditorium, the salaries of three star judges, recording studio time, plus the audition tour. Fox reported before this year started that “American Idol” was no longer turning a profit. CNN stated that “There’s one other major reason for the slow but sure demise of ‘American Idol’: rival networks offering similar competition.” With the rising popularity of “The Voice”, which began airing on NBC in April 2011, it’s been exceptionally hard for “American Idol” to maintain its viewers.

As for the cultural influence of the show, the popularity and success of the contestants seems to have decreased as well. Ryan Seacrest, who has been the host of the show for 15 years, has his own website called ryanseacrest.com where he rated what he thought were the thirteen most successful “American Idol” contestants based on their popularity, cultural influence, and overall success in the music industry. The winner of season one, Kelly Clarkson, who currently holds the title for all-time best-selling single by an Idol contestant, was rated number one, according to Seacrest. Eleven contestants of the thirteen he rated were from seasons one through eight. This could suggest that during seasons one through eight, “American Idol” was at its peak of success and gradually slipped from there.

Some attribute this decline in popularity to the constant changing of the judges’ panel. Senior Keith Wilson, who recently tried out for America’s Got Talent, used to watch “American Idol” but lost interest.

“I stopped watching the show after like, season 11 because I didn’t like the judges,” said Wilson. The original panel consisted of Paula Abdul, who left after season 8; Simon Cowell, who left after season 9; and Randy Jackson, who left after season 12. Since season 8, the judges panel never remained constant or regained its footing, with eight different judges coming and going in a span of seven seasons.

That being said, Fox has announced that the final season will be a nostalgia tour, saying it will pay tribute to the show’s previous years. According to The Huffington Post, the network stated that “American Idol” Season 15 will begin airing in January 2016 and will feature longtime host Ryan Seacrest and current judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr.

The final episodes will honor past contestants, winners and fans throughout the season, serving as a “celebratory event.” According to americanidol.com, the network is hoping to bring back the original judges and have them join the current judges as well as the more successful Idol winners and contestants from the previous years, including Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

While “American Idol” has been struggling for the past few years, its overall success is undeniable. During its better times, the show held the title for the most-watched, non-scripted television series for nearly a decade. No other singing competition can state that they ran for 15 years. It has inspired many people as well as significantly impacted the music industry. “American Idol” may be closing its curtains, but its legacy will surely live on.