Fox's American Idol is no longer the TV juggernaut it once was -- not only has its ratings dipped to an all-time low, but a new lawsuit filed against the onetime hit suggests that Sony Records has "cheated" the past AI winners!

According to Entertainment Weekly, this year's Sochi Olympics were partly to blame for the decline in ratings. In addition, during the Sochi Olympics, AI was on a "repeat" schedule (that is, no new episodes were being shown, which contributed to the decline in the ratings). With a 2.4 rating, and only 9.9 million viewers tuning in to the show, the series experienced an all-time, 13-year ratings low. In addition, reports are suggesting that for the first time in its entire existence, the show will "lose" money... leading many to believe that the long-standing show will be canceled once this season is over.

Meanwhile, according to Mercury News, a federal lawsuit has been filed by Simon Fuller -- the co-creator of American Idol and his production company, 19 Recordings -- against Sony Music Entertainment, claiming that the record label conglomerate has "cheated" such past winners as Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson out of millions of dollars in royalties... to the tune of $10 million, to be exact. Other artists whom Fuller feels that Sony has cheated include Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken, and Jordin Sparks. While Sony has no comment on the lawsuit (of course), the attorney for Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment, Richard Busch of King & Ballow in Nashville, Tenn., says that the lawsuit was "necessary" to protect the rights of 19's artists. (How noble.)

American Idol is an American reality-singing competition series created by Simon Fuller and produced by 19 Entertainment, and distributed by FremantleMedia North America. It began airing on Fox on June 11, 2002, as an addition to the Idols format based on the British series Pop Idol, and has since become one of the most successful shows in the history of American television. For an unprecedented eight consecutive years, from the 2003-04 television season through the 2010-11 season, either its performance or result show had been ranked number one in U.S. television ratings.