Keshet International and Universal Music Group (UMG) have signed a multi-territory deal (excl. U.S. and Israel) which will see UMG acquire exclusive options to sign artist agreements with any or all contestants participating in the trailblazing interactive TV series Rising Star. Working in partnership, the two companies will maximise the potential of the show’s finalists, locally and internationally, on all platforms.
Separately, Keshet DCP in the U.S. has signed a deal with UMG which will see artists on ABC’s U.S. version of the show winning a record deal with the Universal Music label, Capitol Records. Capitol Records is also releasing full studio recordings of the performances on the show and making them available for download.
The Israeli version of Rising Star marked a record-breaking debut on Keshet’s Channel 2 from September to December 2013, peaking with an audience share of 58% and tallying more than 10 million votes through its real-time voting app, developed by Keshet and digital partner Screenz. The show has gone on to sell to more than 25 territories internationally in six months becoming the fastest-selling talent show on record. It is currently on air in Brazil (Rede Globo) and Portugal (TVI) and is attracting average audience shares of approximately 30% each week. On June 22 it made its debut on ABC in the U.S. becoming the most successful summer launch for ABC since 2011 and the most talked about show in the U.S. on social media platforms.
Sammy Nourmand, Chief Operating Officer of Keshet UK said, “We are very confident that we have found the right global music partner for Rising Star in Universal Music Group. The show is completely interactive and judged by its viewers – so having a music partner that buys into its unique proposition was vital.”
Max Hole, Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group International comments, “In Rising Star, Keshet International has created a truly original format which reinvents viewer engagement. Finding and developing exciting new artists is at the heart of everything we do and so we are very pleased to be their music partner in this innovative venture.”
Rising Star is a trailblazing interactive talent format which hails a new era in home entertainment. It enables the first real-time voting by viewers via an innovative free app “TV app to you” which is fully integrated into the show. Making their debut on stage alone, behind a giant wall of TV screens, a performer can only make his or her entry to the studio by securing more than 70% of the viewers’, judges’ and live audiences’ vote. If the bar is met, the screen (which lights up with the face of each voting viewer in real-time) will slowly rise to expose the hopeful to their new fans and the expert panel. From the very first minute of the very first episode, viewers play an integral role in every decision made on the show and continue to do so throughout the entire season.
Capitol Music Group (CMG) Chairman & CEO Steve Barnet, adds, “With Rising Star, Keshet International has developed a highly innovative approach to engaging viewers that combines the best of television and social/mobile media to introduce new artists to the public. Our involvement with this exciting platform will help broaden the reach of these just-discovered artists and share their music with their newly won fans nationwide.”
Sales of the Rising Star format have been made in the U.S. (ABC), UK (ITV), Argentina (Telefe), Brazil (Rede Globo), Spain (Atresmedia), Portugal (TVI), Italy (Toro), France (M6 Group) Russia (Rossiya1), Germany (RTL), the Nordics (Nordisk), Hungary (TV2), Ukraine (1+1), Greece (MEGA), Turkey (Acun Medya) and Indonesia (RCTI). Interest in the format continues to grow worldwide following unprecedented ratings for the show’s original series in Israel, the season finale of which peaked with a 58% share of the total domestic audience.
