American Idol Shifts Production to Atlanta for Season 25
American Idol, the well-known competition show, is moving its production from Los Angeles to Atlanta for its 25th season.
Georgia currently offers a generous 30 percent tax credit for unscripted and reality TV productions that meet a spending threshold of $500,000. The show is co-produced by Fremantle and Sony Pictures Television 19 Entertainment.
As reported, California’s expanded production tax credit has attracted 170 films and television shows to the state. However, it hasn’t stopped the decline in on-location filming in Los Angeles. The number of shoot days in the second quarter of 2026 dropped by 12% compared to the previous year.
This past quarter saw only 4,711 shoot days, a decrease from 5,394 in the same period in 2025 and 5,121 from the preceding quarter. In total, shoot days for this quarter are about 36% lower than the five-year average. For context, during the second quarter of 2019, a year that marked a five-year low for on-location filming in L.A., there were 8,632 shoot days.
Previously reported concerns highlight that even the popular Baywatch reboot contemplated relocating production to another state due to regulatory challenges. Furthermore, forecasts suggest that a potential move by the Paramount movie studio from California could have a significant economic impact, potentially costing billions and leading to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
A study by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation indicated that if Paramount moved to a state such as Tennessee, California might lose about 28,990 to 57,980 full-time jobs across various sectors. Revenue losses could reach between $10.6 billion and $21.2 billion every year.
The study also noted that these job loss estimates encompass direct, indirect, and induced jobs, reflecting the broader impact through Paramount’s supply chains in California and overall household spending. Thus, job losses would affect all industries in California, not just film and television production.
Additionally, the research pointed out that if Paramount were to acquire Warner Bros. and commit to releasing 30 films annually, it could create between 1,020 and 2,760 jobs in California across all sectors, with potential revenue generation ranging from $377.7 million to $1.01 billion.
