NBC, ‘America’s Got Talent’ looking to battle ABC’s ‘Rising Star’ directly
Well, you can certainly proclaim right now that NBC has no problem at all when it comes to being cynical and at times evil when it comes to crushing other reality shows.
Clearly, the network does not want “Rising Star” to succeed over on ABC. The show is the most ambitious project that we’ve seen in some time, whether it be its implementation of real-time voting and also its panel that includes Brad Paisley and Kesha.
So what is NBC doing to counter this? Well, they’ve scheduled not only a new “American Ninja Warrior from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00, but also a new “America’s Got Talent” episode after that. Basically, they are trying to bury “Rising Star” using some of their own successful shows. As for why in the world they would be trying to do this in the first place, there are a few simple reasons:
- They don’t want to see ABC get a ton of headlines over the summer with a great show.
- They don’t want a new singing competition to saturate the market, and end up hurting their flagship show “The Voice.”
- Because they can. NBC is not afraid anymore after at one point being a laughingstock.
In the end, we still hate this decision from the very fabric of our being, much like we did when NBC decided to intentionally schedule “The Voice” against “The X Factor” USA. They are forcing viewers to make a choice, rather than letting the market dictate anything. While it may help them in the bottom line in the end, that’s about it.
What do you think about NBC’s move here, and how terrible do you find this for viewers more than anything else? Share below.