Entertainment | American Idol Numbers Back American Idol Worship From viewers to votes, box office to bank, no arguing Fox franchise is king By Dustin Lushing Posted May 21, 2008 7:03 AM CDT Copied In this image released by FOX, American Idol contestant David Archuleta performs, Tuesday, March 4, 2008, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/FOX, Frank Micelotta) American Idol—the highest-rated show of the 21st century—finishes its seventh season tomorrow, moving Portfolio to some Idol chatter: Total number of episodes since its debut in 2002 (as of May 19): 270 Number of seasons ranked the No. 1 show on television: 3 Value of the Idol franchise, per Advertising Age: $2.5 billion Approximate number of CDs sold by Idol winners: 24.5 million Approximate number of CDs sold by runners-up: 6.5 million Estimated number of viewers who watched the '08 season premiere: 33.2 million Votes cast during the season finale last year: 74 million (Idol allows up to 10 votes per phone number) Percentage of Americans who believe their Idol is as important as their vote for president, according to Fox News: 35 percent Read These Next Doctor left her Alaskan cruise and never returned. Trump "never heard" that "shylocks" is offensive. At least 13 people are dead in Texas flooding. Extremely rare bat-borne virus claims a human life. Report an error