Israeli hit Rising Star will not directly compete with The X Factor, but brings real-time voting to the singing competition format. And has a solid history of singing rabbis
Whether it's due to confused format changes, the omnipresence of Samsung tablet devices, or a plain old lack of killer talent, The X Factor is losing the ratings battle to Strictly, in a contest that has over the years become cast as great geopolitical struggle rather than the country's chief incubator of cleavage engineers. But as Simon Cowell waits in the wings to install himself for another three years as judge and prodigal son, ITV has announced another singing competition that, if popular, could potentially send the high-trousered one back to looking after Zig and Zag.
Rising Star, set to replace Dancing On Ice in a January 2015 slot, is a format that's been bought from Israeli production company Keshet International, following great ratings success there – it achieved a massive 44% share in its timeslot, with seven times the viewers of the second-placed show. "It's rare that you find a genuinely innovative new entertainment format, but Keshet have come up with one, and I'm very pleased that it will now be on ITV," said ITV's director of entertainment Elaine Bedell in a statement.
So what's the big innovation? Rather than vote for your favourite act at the end of the show – or confusing everyone with a flash vote – on Rising Star you vote as the performance takes place, via an app. A progress bar tracks a percentage approval rating as the great unwashed deem their Saturday night jester worthy or not, and the panel of judges (with inevitable shade-throwing Tamera Foster guest spot) can chip in with their approval, each adding a potential 7% boost to the bar. If they reach 70%, they're through to boot camp or whatever we'll call it.
It dovetails perfectly with our second-screen viewing habits, acknowledging that we're probably messing around on an iPad while the TV's on, and leveraging that into interaction. Advertisers will love it (more engagement and opportunities for eyeball assault) and the sight of an act making up for a wonky opening with a massive top note will be a wonderfully empty three-minute redemption story. There is also the potential for, as in the above video from the Israeli show, a pair of wizened rabbis singing Simon And Garfunkel's psychedelic meltdown The Sounds of Silence, which has 'saviour of Saturday night' written through it like a stick of kosher rock.
But it's not without flaws. The performers play behind a screen, with the judges and audience watching their performance projected onto it – if they hit the magic approval rating, the screen rises to unveil them. The big reveal turns out to be merely a smaller, three-dimensional version of the people you've just seen.
Its worst potential aspect though is amplifying the creative malaise of The X Factor. That show has, Journey South excepted, produced many stunning performances, but its format undermines them. Singers must effectively jump through a series of game-like challenges like Sonic grabbing rings: hit the high note or execute a tween-baiting crowd surge and bang, you've accrued some judge approval. By breaking down songs into modular units, it often kills off much of what makes music emotionally resonant, and Rising Star could make things worse.
Imagine the panic as the singer runs out of time, trying to impress viewers by butchering a song into a series of impressive sonic feats. Something like Leona Lewis's breathtaking Summertime might never happen, because its slow, sensual opening wouldn't have people jabbing the vote button and she'd start dancing – and Leona must never start dancing.
But launched with some vivacious judges, solid back-end tech, and a neo-Dermot in a pair of trousers so schlong-sculpting he has to wear flight socks, Rising Star's sheer dynamism could end up causing Cowell some sleepless nights.