Who will be the new judges on American Idol?

There has been a lot of speculation going around as to who the new judges will be on American Idol. With both Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez both quitting the show and not returning for the next season, the producers of Idol are scrambling to find replacements.

Who they choose will be of great importance, as the audience for the show has gradually become older, while the total audience numbers are dwindling. These are both bad news in the advertising world, as advertisers are looking to advertise to large young audiences, not small old ones. While Jennifer Lopez may have been able to bring in some of the younger crowd, Steven Tyler definitely was an attraction to those over 50, rather than those in their 20′s.

It seems that if the show wishes to survive, they will have to follow in the footsteps of their rival show, X-Factor, by selecting younger more popular judges. X-Factor recently hired Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, and has been incredibly successful in drawing in a younger crowd. By contrast, this past season saw the average age of American Idol viewers jump above 50. American Idol seems to have lost its appeal to youth.

The names that are being thrown around as possible future judges include Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Mary J Blige, however none of these judges fit the desired profile of the producers, as being young. All of those three performers are over the age of 40 and will continue to appeal mainly to an older crowd, while failing to reel in the youth. Short of getting Justin Bieber as a judge on American Idol, its hard to say whether or not the show will be able to regain its allure to America’s youth.