The Fox network on Sunday morning made official the long-reported final additions to the judging lineup for “American Idol,†television's dominant show of the past decade, and the new names were, as expected, the rap star Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, one of the most popular singers in country music.
The two will join a new, expanded judging panel, made up of one holdover, Randy Jackson, who has been with the show from its start, and what amounts to an all-star lineup of new performers, with Mariah Carey already having signed on.
Fox was under the gun to get deals finalized with Ms. Minaj and Mr. Urban because the first tapings of auditions for a new season of “Idol†begin Sunday night in New York; the shows will begin airing in January. The network had held off from confirming the widespread rumors of their selection because they had not signed their contracts until this weekend.
The new judges replace Jenn ifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, who both left “Idol†last spring after two seasons.
The music firepower now on the “Idol†panel reflects both the show's continuing importance to the music business and the need to add fresh appeal to a show whose ratings fell about 30 percent last year.
In addition, “Idol†now exists in the television marketplace with two copycat singing-competition shows, “The Voice†on NBC and “X Factor†on Fox. Both of those shows, which are also stocked with superstar performers as judges, have been successful but have seen ratings declines so far this season.
That only adds to the pressure on the show's producers - and its new trio of high-profile judges - to steady the flagship of Fox's prime-time lineup.
Bill Carter writes about the television industry. Follow @wjcarter on Twitter.
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