Canadian ‘Idol’ goes on hiatus

Priorities are sure different in the snowy north. As America breathlessly awaits next month’s Season 8 premiere of “American Idol,” Canada is taking a breather this year from their version of the singing show.

“Canadian Idol” is being put on the shelf, apparently because of the slowing economy, CTV says. The program finished its sixth season this fall and remained a Canadian TV ratings success. It scored an average of 1.47 million viewers in September.

However, CTV decided to not produce the costly reality show in a year when advertising revenues are expected to drop sharply. CTV said in a statement late Tuesday that it wasn’t canceling the popular show altogether.