‘American Idol’ voting transformed via Google and Facebook

Voting on “American Idol” is about to get a major update - thanks to Google and Facebook.

Viewers using Google Search and Facebook will be able to vote during the show rather than waiting for the end, starting with this week’s shows. And voters will be able to vote up to 50 times per contestant, rather than being limited to 50 online votes overall as in the past.

Viewers have complained for years about a lack of transparency in “Idol” voting results, so the changes may be of particular interest to those seeking more information. The Facebook partnership will offer “on-air visualizations of how the voting is progressing,” Fox said in a statement.

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“Facebook will power images that show real-time East Coast voting trends, allowing at-home viewers to get a first-ever look at an exciting array of voting information, such as demographic voting trends and relative contestant rankings,” the network said.

Whether the changes will help boost “Idol’s” ratings remains to be seen. The singing contest has dealt with sinking viewership for years, and now must do battle with this week’s season premiere of NBC’s rival singing contest “The Voice.”

What do you think of the “Idol” voting changes?

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