According to Advertising Age, the American Idol franchise has been valued at roughly $2.5 billion. Which is a lot. American Idol is said to bring in over $500 million a year in advertising revenue alone. American Idol has taken over the country. Everywhere you look, especially in these days leading up to the January 16th premiere, American Idol is there, selling the show and anything else you could imagine. Former Idols Taylor Hicks, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, and Kelly Clarkson have found success in their young careers. Ryan Seacrest has turned into this generation's Dick Clark.
The fact that a talent show is worth billions of dollars is a profoundly weird notion to consider. FOX has won the prime time lottery. They took a show popular overseas, and produced a version more or less the same as the European ones, and sat back and watched while it became an overnight success. FOX could air only American Idol-related television, seven days a week, and they would still be wildly profitable. Now that I know how much American Idol is worth, it makes me more inclined to watch it. Who doesn't want to be a part of something that big? -Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer