Talent shows have reached a fatigue point. 

, premiered in the US to much fanfare in 2011, but was gone after three seasons of declining ratings. 

 was also half-cancelled by ABC in late 2013, dropping from two shows a week to one, as it continues to lose young viewers. It now has one of the oldest audiences in television, with a median age of over 62. 

But a new contestant just might buck this trend. 

, the latest music talent show, uses second screens to bring immediate interaction to live TV. Can this shake up the talent show format enough to make it watchable once again? And what do second screens mean for the future of TV?

 finale, with a share of 36% among young viewers. But since then, it’s seen a drop in views – 66% in since 2011 – and an increase in the average age of its viewers, from 30 years old to over 60. 

 So is the TV talent show dead? The cancellation of 

But this failing interest in talent shows doesn’t seem to be affecting 

 – the latest talent show format by Keshet International, an Israeli network. After a successful first season in its country of origin, it debuted in the US in June 2014 and is set to launch in over 20 territories. Its success is widely attributed to the full integration of second screens into its format, offering viewers immediacy of interaction and results. 

There’s no way to do the show without the app. It’s not a second-screen experience. It is the experience

 has all the traditional ingredients: contestants aiming to becoming stars, judges or ‘coaches’ able to help them, and the audience voting to decide who will win. The difference is the voting system, which is done through the show’s mobile app. For participants to go through, the audience must vote real-time while watching the show. Unlike other second screen experiences such as

 relies on viewers’ interaction with the app – making it a crucial element of the show, rather than just an extension of it. “There’s no way to do the show without the app,” says executive producer Nicole Yaron. “It’s not a second-screen experience. It 

The voting takes place during each performance, and the results are displayed live on TV. The user-friendly Tinder-like design makes it even easier for the audience to engage with the app – all they have to do is to swipe ‘yes’ or ‘no’ while the contestant is singing. To pass to the next round, participants need to reach 70% of approval – with the judges’ opinion counting for only 7% of the total. Users of the app have also the opportunity to have their own five seconds of fame, with the chance to have their picture projected on the show’s digital wall.

 requires that viewers watch the programme live to be able to interact with it. This brings back formatted TV – encouraging people to watch the show while it’s actually being aired. With a targeted audience aged 18-49 used to interacting with mobile devices as a second screen, this could be good news for TV advertisers that want to retain viewers – who may otherwise be switching to online streaming services like Netflix.

Can Rising Star’s success in Israel translate to the US?

 first invaded our living rooms, and ten years since Simon Cowell won over the world with 

. And while those names aren’t top of the charts anymore, our interest in reality TV hasn’t completely faded away. 

 Reality show formats appeal to our natural instinct to relate to and engage with those who are similar to us. It even gives us the power to decide the fate of participants, and can make us feel like a community. “We love reality TV because it gives us power, and it's absolutely true that this kind of programme – where we are so involved in what happens – gives our lives a dramatic narrative they might otherwise lack,” says psychotherapist Gladeana McMahon. 

We love reality TV because it gives us power, and it's absolutely true that this kind of programme – where we are so involved in what happens – gives our lives a dramatic narrative they might otherwise lack

The decrease in TV show ratings is also due to the rise of digital media. The industry has changed drastically, and with so many ways to watch shows, people just aren’t tuning into their TV as often. In 2013, viewers spent less time engaging with live content via traditional TV – but the consumption of TV content has actually increased. They’re recording their favourite shows on DVR, catching up with on-demand, and subscribing to streaming services like Netflix. And increasingly, they’re watching shows on their smartphones and tablets, too. 2013 saw a jump of 59% of mobile users spending time watching video on their devices – because people still want to watch shows, but they’d rather watch them when and where they want than be tied to a traditional TV airing schedule. 

 But despite the drop, TV still remains the strongest form of traditional media – taking an average of 2.5 hours a day worldwide, peaking at 3.6 hours in the US. 

And the proliferation of digital devices has brought about another behaviour shift; the second screen. In the US, 86% of smartphone owners say they use their devices while watching TV, and nearly half do it every single day. 

 It could be for a multitude of reasons, from checking social media websites, to looking up information about the show they’re watching, to shopping something that was advertised. The use of social media to engage with other viewers has changed the way we watch TV, and Twitter is a popular platform amongst second screen users. 

Less people are watching traditional talent shows – could second screens be the answer?

So are audiences really bored with talent shows? Or is there still more to explore with the talent show format? Participation in 

 is rewarded with easy interaction, immediacy and even the possibility to have five seconds of fame in the show. By integrating technology to mass TV, 

 is building a community. Having your picture projected on the show’s wall not only offers you a fleeting taste of fame but also can make you feel like part of a bigger community that’s engaged in the same show as you. 

 explores different levels of second screen interactivity. Viewers are given a real reason to use the show’s app in a way that’s far more compelling than simply using Twitter. It’s relevant and adds value to the show. While UK shows like 

 have accompanying apps, there’s no real sense of interaction – you can press a red button on your screen to show you don’t like an act, but only you can see it. 

, on the other hand, has complete audience integration.

Having your picture projected on the show’s wall not only offers you a fleeting taste of fame but also can make you feel like part of a bigger community that’s engaged in the same show as you

Even the Tinder-like interface recognises the success of the dating app (translated into 24 languages and with 10 million daily users), and doesn’t require the user to adapt to a new interface. 

 And the interactivity doesn’t stop there. App users also get tune-in prompts and can download songs that just have been broadcast. For the network, all this interaction means that a wealth of real-time data about viewers will be collected and can later be used to target tailored advertising to people’s devices.

For advertisers who are weighing up the benefits of investing in traditional TV versus digital media, the 

 format could be an interesting hybrid solution that offers both reach and frequency. While TV ownership is still high, people are increasingly moving to timeshifted TV for its convenience. It’s especially the case for people aged 18-34, who are spending 44% more time watching online video and 36% more time watching YouTube than the average internet user. This is the demographic that marketers often pay a premium to reach – and these people could be migrating back to watching traditional TV because of 

Following its success in Israel, the show’s first episode in the US seemed to perform well, too. It was watched by 5.1 million viewers, and achieved a 1.5 rating with the desired demographic. 

 hashtag attracted 129,071 tweets on Sunday night, the app has surpassed 1 million downloads, and it was the No. 1 free app on the Apple App Store for the day. 

 It offers viewers and advertisers the best of both worlds by combining a seemingly outdated TV format with the latest technology and tapping into current consumer behaviour. 

 is one to watch, and interact with while doing so.

 is a consumer researcher and trend analyst. Her curiosity to understand what makes people tick has taken her from her home country of Brazil, to London via Italy. Specialising in ethnographic studies, she is interested in technology and how it's changing human behaviour.

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‘Tinder’, Wikipedia

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‘'Rising Star': What's the verdict?’, CNN

‘ABC’s ‘Rising Star’ Opens to Sluggish Numbers Sunday Night’, Variety

The talent show format has fallen out of favour. 

 viewers fell 66% in three years, and only three seasons of 

 were made in the US before it was dropped. Can interactive programme 

 bring the talent show back into people’s living rooms?

How second screens are responding to (and shaping) user behaviours

Are we all turning our TVs off for good?

Mobile screens outpacing TV in the US

What do people need from an app?

Reality TV pushes for real-time authenticity

Real emotion: the rise of reality culture

StarMaker: taking singing seriously

SongPop: social gaming goes pop