Johannesburg - After 18 years of keeping viewers entertained and cultivating music stars, the popular singing competition “Idols SA” announced that season 19 is set to be its farewell season.
This news was confirmed on the “Idols” page on Twitter, further publicising that auditions for the last season will kick off on February 12.
While the information on the cancellation came as a shock to many devoted viewers, it was not a surprise for those who believe that the show had lost its mighty mojo since last year.
There were reports that “Idols SA” had seen a drastic decline in viewership last year.
Following the departure of Unathi Nkayi and Randall Abrahams from the show, acclaimed actress Thembi Seete and rapper-producer extraordinaire JR Bogopa were introduced in the hopes of reviving the show.
However, this did not seem to have had any influence on enticing viewers and raised questions about bringing back Nkayi and Abrahams.
According to entertainment commentator Phil Mphela, the ratings of the show plummeted in July.
“Season 18’s debut month has been a lukewarm affair. The intro of new judges and the return of Somizi seems to have not lured disinterested viewers back. The new season peaked at 744K viewers during July, a far cry (from) season past debut,” he posted.
He added: “To be fair, ratings have dropped for most shows across the TV landscape, especially in the titles that have been around for a while. That said, the failure of ‘Idols SA’ to recover its over a million viewers per episode streak is significant. ‘Idols SA’ should be concerned.”
Esteemed musicians such as Lloyiso, Khaya Mthethwa, Mmatema Moremi, Musa Sukwene, Vincent Bones, Karabo Mogane, Berry Trytsman, Yanga Sobetwa, Luyolo Yiba, Zama Khumalo, Paxton Fielies and Thapelo Molomo were also part of this popular show.
The Star