A month after acquiring the syndication rights to air American Idol Rewind from now-defunct Tribune Entertainment, Trifecta has sold the series’ third season to thirteen Fox O&O markets.
That means Idol Rewind in Chicago will switch this October from Tribune-owned WGN-TV to Fox-owned WFLD-TV and WPWR-TV. The program will also shift from Tribune to Fox stations in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Washington D.C.
Idol Rewind currently airs on WGN Saturday at 4 p.m. and Monday at 2:30 a.m.
This is the second time in many years that Tribune has lost a top property to the Fox stations. Earlier, Tribune lost the syndication rights to Everybody Loves Raymond in those same markets (with the exception of Washington, where Raymond already airs on WTTG/WDCA-TV.)
Idol Rewind already airs on some Fox O&Os, including WJBK-TV in Detroit, KSAZ-TV in Phoenix, KMSP-TV in Minneapolis, WOFL-TV in Orlando, and WHBQ-TV in Memphis.
For Trifecta, the move to Fox makes sense, as new episodes of Idol airs on Fox, and it gives the program a year-around presence on those outlets.
Idol’s new season begins Tuesday on Fox, where it is expected to dominate the ratings this year, thanks to the writer’s strike that has sidelined scripted series.
Ratings are down for Idol Rewind this season, as it is focusing on Season 2, which featured Clay Aiken and winner Ruben Studdard. The program still ranks in the top ten however, among syndicated weeklies.