‘American Idol’ to Air Live Coast-to-Coast for Next 3 Weeks

Performances, voting and results will all be broadcast during each show in real time

American Idol
ABC/Adam Rose

ABC’s “American Idol” will air on live simulcast nationwide for the next three weeks, with the performances, voting and results being shown at the end of each show in real time across all time zones.

ABC is making the move — the first ever for a reality-competition series — as the contest moves into the finals, with 14 singers left in the competition. Viewers will be able to vote live during the broadcast via text, the show’s website or the “American Idol” app.

The first of the three live shows will take place Sunday, April 29 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Last week’s episode of “Idol” got a 1.3 rating/5 share in the 18-49 demographic and an average of 6.3 million viewers, falling to NBC’s “The Voice” for a fifth straight week.

That figure was a new low for the long-running series, falling below the 1.4 demo rating and 5.5 million viewer total that was the show’s lowest mark in terms of audience during its entire run on Fox.

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