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American Idol -- once a ratings juggernaut for Fox (FOX -0.1%, FOXA +0.1%) that ended up changing television and spurring on new genres of competition programming -- went out with a finale that drew 13.3M viewers, its biggest audience in more than two years.
- The singing show -- which has struggled with years of falling ratings and higher costs -- brought back former contestants and the original judges in a two-hour celebration of the 15-year-old show.
- It made Fox $8.1B in ad revenue over its first 14 seasons, Kantar Media estimates, though those sales dipped along with ratings in 2015. Even so, it still beat many programs on competing networks.
- The show is going to reappear someday, creator Simon Fuller says -- though with the changes to the TV landscape since its debut, that destination will likely be digital.
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