• Media Life, Wednesday, January 17, 2007 11:15 AM

As Fox rolls out the premiere of "American Idol," one question is when --and if--its hold on viewers will ever begin to slip. For the three seasons in a row, it has been the No. 1 show among adults 18-49, lifting Fox to top honors in the demo.

But the success has put the net in something of an unusual pickle: If it gets any bigger, it could price advertisers out. "At this point, I don't think Fox wants "Idol" to get any bigger," says one media researcher. "Otherwise, they'll have a hard time finding advertising." T

This time around, a 30-second spot during "Idol" will average better than $600,000, already a big stretch for most marketing budgets. And Fox got a reported $1.3 million per 30-second ad for the May finale, more even than CBS could charge for the series-ending "Everybody Loves Raymond" in 2005.

"Idol" is the priciest regular-season commercial by far, with No. 2 "Desperate Housewives" getting only two-thirds as much per ad, or about $394,000.

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