“American Idol” was at one point a brand that some thought would last for generations. Ratings have tanked to the point that “American Idol” season 12 finale viewership fell more than 40% from the prior season finale. Now things are bad enough that the daily deals website Living Social is sending out big ticket discounts for the “American Idol Live” concert. Rather than paying $78 for a ticket, fans can get in for 56% lower at $34 per ticket.

The Hollywood Reporter said that “Idol” has become your grandparents show with a median age over 51 years old. The show lost some 7 million viewers and total viewers were only 14.3 million. That may still be a huge number of people with too much free time on their hands, but this was apparently the first time an “Idol” season finale did not have 20 million or more viewers since the show launched back in 2002. That viewership was put at being down 10 million in just two years, and things didn’t get much nicer from there.

Daily deals are sometimes very useful, but they can also be an indication that demand for products or services is weak. Some daily deals sound ludicrous, and some are hilarious. With “American Idol” ratings down so low that the future looks bleak, it is of little surprise that the effort is using daily deals for floor seats in Houston to the live “American Idol” in Reliant Stadium for Sunday, July 28, 2013. What this likely tells you is that the long bleed-out at the Idol show is still bleeding.

Here is what makes matters worse. If Season 12 was so poor, then how great can demand be for a live concert featuring Season 12 finalists? This is one of those cases where the daily deal might as well say “You didn’t want to watch us for free in the comfort of your own home, so maybe you want to pay to watch the people live!”

The daily deal said:

You’ve seen the stars on your TV set every week, now experience the singing sensations of American Idol in concert with this offer: For $34, you’ll score one ticket to see American Idol Live! at Reliant Arena on Sunday, July 28. This one-night-only concert brings the biggest stars from the show that started it all to the same stage for an unforgettable night of music.

Season 12 Idol finalists Amber Holcomb, Angie Miller, Burnell Taylor, Candice Glover, Curtis Finch Jr, Devin Velez, Janelle Arthur, Kree Harrison, Lazaro Arbos, and Paul Jolley will be on hand to charm the audience with their powerful performances — plus, Season 11 finalist Aubrey Cleland also joins the tour after being voted on by Idol fans.

The only good news here is that Living Social shows that over 500 seats have been purchased. That is at least 500 fewer empty seats. You’ve heard the saying that nothing lasts forever. Now you can hear it again.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.