UPDATE: I’m hearing some conflicting info about the Idol finale date. Those of you who made travel plans for the week of May 23rd may still be cool. We’ll just have to wait and see.
According to Lady Gaga Promotions twitter, she’ll be performing on American Idol Thursday May 19. Perez Hilton called it “The Finale”.
What does Perez Hilton know, right? Idol usually runs 19 weeks (last year it was 20) and ends the week before Memorial Day (which is May 30th this year).
The Powers that Be wouldn’t cut Idol back to 18 weeks and lose all that ad revenue, would they? Wikipedia has the Idol finale scheduled for Thursday May 19. But, Wiki isn’t always reliable.
However, I’d bet my house the Idol finale will air on May 19. Why? Because May advertising sweeps end on Wednesday, May 25. And since Idol has changed their schedule to Wed/Thurs, the finale would fall outside that very important period if it ran on its typical 19 week schedule.
Advertiser ad rates are determined based on ratings during the sweeps period. I can’t imagine Idol scheduling the finale past the 25th. The new schedule changes everything this year.
So, although it’s not official yet, if you are planning to attend this year’s finale, circle May 19 on your calendar. AOL Music is going along with May 19 as the finale date.
