Ten’s Australian Idol mixes up format for new series

Ten has revealed its plans for its ratings cornerstone Australian Idol, which will veer between Sunday-only and stripped across the week during its new season.
The show, which starts in just over a fortnight, will be aired on Sundays-only for the first two weeks as the auditions are covered.

For the third week, Ten has clearly taken heart from the daily success of Masterchef, and will switch to daily shows as the show moves into the final 100 contestants.

The next week will be back to just Sunday, as a wildcard round, before entering the finals stage on Sunday, September 6, featuring the last 12.

Each of the Sunday finals shows will be two hours long, starting with a group performance, immediately followed by a contestant elimination.

Judges are Kyle Sandilands, Ian Dickson and Marcia Hines, with the show being presented by Andrew G and former contestant Ricki-Lee Coulter.