American Idol will allow viewers to vote for their favorite contestants online

For the first time ever, American Idol will allow viewers to vote for their favorite contestants online at americanidol.com. Sponsored by AT&T, online voting begins immediately after the first performance show airing Tuesday, March 1 (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. In addition to online voting, fans will continue to be able to vote via toll-free phone lines, as well as unlimited text-message votes for AT&T wireless customers during the voting window (standard text-messaging rates may apply).

 To vote online during the voting window, fans should visit AmericanIdol.com and follow the directions. Fans will be required to log in using their Facebook account to access the American Idol voting page, which will feature the name and photo of each of the current contestants. To vote, fans will simply choose their favorite contestant, complete the security verification and submit their choice. After each performance show and during the online voting window, fans may cast up to 50 total online votes for that evening’s performances. Only fans with a registered Facebook account in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be able to cast their vote(s) online.

“We have been wanting to do online voting for several years, and now Facebook has offered us a secure solution and we are ready to go,” said Simon Fuller, Creator and Executive Producer, American Idol. “The show has always involved a high level of engagement with its viewers through texting and phone voting, and it’s great to expand on this tradition.”

American Idol Ratings Holding High For 2011 Hollywood Week

The decision to move American Idol on past its 2011 auditions a little early was a wise one. Interest (and viewership) seems to wane during those third and fourth weeks of Idol auditions and we saw that here as well with our readership. But as things shift in to the real competition with the launch of Hollywood Week the crowds came rushing back, as the LA Times notes:

With the auditions over and the Hollywood round in full swing, “American Idol” led Fox to its fourth consecutive Thursday night victory in the ratings. According to Nielsen’s estimates, 21.7 million viewers tuned in to the show at 8, far more than any other program that night.

It’s great to see those fears of fans running away this season vanishing as Idol continues to dominate whatever night it decides to air.