ABC’S NEW RISING STAR NOT SO BRIGHT

ABC’s new summer series Rising Star, a talent contest that integrates a smartphone app, a website, and social media into its format, got off to an unspectacular start Sunday night as it averaged 5.02 million viewers and a 1.5 rating and a 5 share among key viewers in the 18-49 age group. Although it was the second-highest-rated program in that demo for the night, it fell far short of the ratings results for its timeslot rival, NBC’s America’s Got Talent, which averaged 8 million total viewers and a 2.1/6 among the younger viewers. Nevertheless, Rising Star did appear to draw viewers away from AGT. Last Tuesday’s edition of the longrunning NBC talent show drew 11.4 million viewers and a 2.6/9 in the 18-49 demo.