How long has Australian Idol been on air?

Australian Idol first aired on July 27th, 2003 and ran for eight seasons until its finale on November 23rd, 2009. The show was simulcast on both the Seven Network and pay-TV's Fox8, and was hosted by radio DJ Osher Günsberg and James Mathison. The show featured a judging panel of Ian "Dicko" Dickson, Mark Holden and Marcia Hines, and a series of guest judges.

The show was extremely popular and consistently found itself as one of the most watched shows, both locally and internationally. It also spawned several spin-offs, including a touring stage show, a digital radio station and a series of karaoke games for console gaming systems.

Australian Idol was the most successful television program in Australia for more than 6 years, and was the highest rating show of the year in 2004, 2005 and 2006. It was the first to be broadcast on free-to-air TV, and the first to be broadcast in Europe.