Simon Fuller's American Idol Breaks Reality TV's Voting Record

LONDON, May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- More Than 122 Million Votes are Cast on Last Night's American Idol

- Idol Finale was Seen by Over 29 Million People

Last night the worldwide reality TV phenomenon, American Idol, smashed viewing figure records. Created and executively produced by Simon Fuller, the show received more than 122.4 million votes. This is the highest number of votes recorded in the history of Idol and marks a new world record for a reality TV vote. The record came in support of the two Idol finalists, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery, who both put on show stopping performances but it was Scotty who was later crowned American Idol winner. Casting those votes on last night's show were over 29 million viewers, making it the biggest entertainment show on American TV this year. Simon Fuller, the man behind the Idol franchise, has pioneered reality TV voting. Commenting on the many successes American Idol has seen over the last ten years in this month's Variety, Fuller notes:

"In television, we defined the term 'reality competition show,' pioneered audience interactivity with our phone and text voting and innovated sponsorship activity with our unique integrations. Since our first show we have exceeded all our ratings expectations, and have been the No. 1 show in America now for seven consecutive years."

This latest viewing figure for American Idol brings the total number of votes cast throughout the tenth season to just over 730 million. To put the success of last night's Idol into context: 122.4 million is comparable to the population of Japan (127 million), is ten times more than the amount of people who voted for David Cameron in last year's UK general election (10,726,614) and smashes the total number of worldwide iPhone sales (108,624,000). Without a doubt, the number one show in America just got a lot bigger.

Simon Fuller is one of the most dynamic and influential men in the entertainment business. Champion creator of the TV shows that define our generation and sculpt the future of our entertainment industry, Fuller's XIX Entertainment has made him the most significant manager of all time. With fingers in the media, music and sport spheres and with big names like The Spice Girls, David Beckham, Andy Murray, Annie Lennox and Cathy Dennis in his arsenal, it's no wonder iTunes have hailed Simon Fuller as the king of the digital revolution.

    XIX Entertainment
    +44-(0)-207-801-1919
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    http://www.xixentertainment.com

SOURCE XIX Entertainment