Keshet’s ‘Rising Star’ earns US deal
News of the singing program's new deals come as celeb judge Eyal Golan is suspended over sex scandal
“Rising Star,” the Israeli singing competition that has been the darling of the international television market since its launch here in September, has landed its biggest international deal yet: a 10-episode order for US screens from major American network ABC.
The deal is the first to be inked by the newly-launched Keshet DCP, a partnership between Dick Clark Productions and Keshet International, home of “Homeland” and the global arm of Israeli media giant Keshet.
Similar distribution deals for the reality program, which puts an innovative spin on the formula perfected by shows like “American Idol” and “The Voice,” have already been signed for the UK, Scandinavia and France.
“Rising Star,” which premiered on Israel’s Channel 2 over the Sukkot holiday, takes the model perfected by “American Idol” and smashes the fourth wall between the viewing audience and all those crooning hopefuls on screen. Using a brand-new smartphone app that was developed by Keshet specifically for the show’s premiere, viewers at home can tune into the competition live and vote in real time, then watch their judgment play out before their eyes.
The program broke records in its premiere episode, snatching nearly 50 percent of the viewers in its time slot, and has since held steady.
The ascent of “Rising Star” hit a bump in Israel on Wednesday, however, when celebrity judge Eyal Golan announced he would be taking a break from the show after being investigated by police in an underage sex scandal.