\u201cAmerican Idol\u201d is packing up Hollywood and heading across the country.<\/p>\n
The long-running singing competition is relocating its production from Los Angeles to the greater Atlanta area ahead of its milestone 25th season. Fremantle, which co-produces the series alongside Sony Pictures Television\u2019s 19 Entertainment, confirmed the major move to Deadline<\/a>. <\/p>\n A primary driver behind the exit is Georgia\u2019s lucrative tax incentive program<\/a>, which offers up to a 30% tax credit for unscripted and reality television productions that spend a minimum of $500,000 in the state, the news outlet reported.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Unscripted production in Los Angeles has plummeted 62.7% against its five-year average, according to FilmLA. Disney<\/p>\n A primary driver behind American Idol\u2019s exit from Los Angeles is Georgia\u2019s lucrative tax incentive program. GC Images<\/p>\n First launched on Fox in 2002, the show spent 15 seasons as a ratings powerhouse in Los Angeles, driven by host Ryan Seacrest and original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. <\/p>\n Even in its fatigued 15th and final Fox season, the show averaged a 3.0 rating among adults 18\u201349 and 11.5 million viewers, according to the Billboard.<\/a> <\/p>\n After going off the air for two years, ABC revived the competitive series in March 2018 with Seacrest and a judge lineup featuring Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood. <\/p>\n The high-profile relocation marks the latest blow to unscripted TV production<\/a> in Los Angeles, an industry segment that has been suffering for a prolonged period.<\/p>\n According to FilmLA data reported by The Wrap<\/a>, local unscripted production dropped sharply in the second quarter, with reality TV shoot days plunging 40% year-over-year. <\/p>\n While overall television filming saw a quarter-over-quarter uptick, unscripted production in Los Angeles has plummeted 62.7% against its five-year average, according to the organization.<\/p>\n The departure follows a similar exit earlier this year in May, when Fox Entertainment Studios announced it would no longer produce \u201cThe Masked Singer<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n The singing competition most recently wrapped up its 24th season on May 11, 2026. Disney<\/p>\n Eureka Productions took over the series and moved operations to New Jersey to take advantage of the state\u2019s tax incentive program, which offers a 30% tax credit on qualified expenses and up to 40% on specific studio projects.<\/p>\n Although California recently expanded its tax incentive program under AB 1138 to cover unscripted series for the first time, the state restricted eligibility strictly to large-scale competition shows with per-episode budgets exceeding $1 million. <\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> California has seen a notable corporate exodus in recent years with major companies like Tesla, Chevron, Oracle, CBRE, and Palantir setting up their base in another state. <\/p>\n Paramount CEO David Ellison is also actively evaluating a prospective movie and TV studio in Texas<\/a> amid intensifying antitrust dispute over his plans to merge Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery in a $110 billion mega deal. <\/p>\n
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