Ryan Seacrest Explains How This Season of 'American Idol' Will Be Different

— -- For years, "American Idol" viewers have complained that the results shows are just a lot of filler to sit through to learn who's going home that week. Well, when the show starts up again in January, you won't have to sit through results shows any more -- for at least part of the season.

Just as ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" did, the long-running Fox show, which premieres Jan. 7, is downsizing from two nights to just one.

"One of the things I'm actually looking forward to this year which is totally different: We're going to do the performance show and the results in the same show," "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest told reporters Friday night in New York City. "So there won’t be a ‘Wait ‘til tomorrow night.’ There won’t be a ‘Coming up, coming up, coming up.’ We're going to have to put it into one formatted night. So that'll be exciting."

Seacrest said, however, that the combined shows won't happen until later in the competition.

"When we get to the final stage, y'know, the top 10, there'll be one night of performance and results all in one," he explained.

Seacrest also spoke enthusiastically about the new face who'll be joining the "Idol" team come January: Scott Borchetta, the head of Taylor Swift's record label, Big Machine. Borchetta's replacing longtime "Idol" fixture Randy Jackson as the show's in-house mentor.

"Clearly, when you look at Scott's track record, look at all the people he's worked with, including one Taylor Swift, and I think he'll be the perfect fit for our show," Seacrest said. "I think it'll be great."

Ratings for “Idol” have steadily declined from record highs in the early years. Last year, ratings dramatically dipped, with the average viewership for the season slipping below 20 million for the first time in a decade.