American Idol to shift production from Los Angeles to Georgia
The long-running music competition series will move its Season 25 filming to the Atlanta area, citing Georgia's tax incentives, marking another major reality-TV relocation away from California.
American Idol is set to relocate its production for Season 25 from Los Angeles to the Atlanta region in Georgia, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The move is being finalized by Fremantle, which co-produces the series with Sony Pictures Television-backed 19 Entertainment.
Georgia offers a tax credit of up to 30 percent for unscripted and reality-television productions that spend at least $500,000 in the state, a benefit that mirrors the incentives that prompted Fox to shift The Masked Singer to New Jersey. The tax credit is a primary factor behind the Idol relocation.
The shift follows a broader decline in Los Angeles reality-TV production, with unscripted shoot days dropping 40 percent in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, and a 62.7 percent decline over the past five years, according to FilmLA data.
California recently expanded its film and television tax credit program, but the new provisions apply only to large-scale competition shows with budgets of at least $1 million per episode. Sources indicate that Idol did not qualify for the state credit, adding to producer frustration over the limited eligibility criteria.
The series, renewed for its 25th season and now in its tenth year on ABC, recently introduced social voting, moved its Hollywood Week segment to Nashville, and began streaming live on Disney+. Judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood are expected to return, though contract details remain pending. Megan Michaels Wolflick is serving as showrunner.