The UK's largest commercial broadcaster, the Independent Television Network (generally referred to in the UK by the acronym, "ITV"), last Friday began broadcasting "Quizmania," a participation TV program from FremantleMedia and talkbackTHAMES, on its flagship terrestrial channel, ITV1. The program is airing on a nightly basis at 1:00AM in blocks of up to four hours. The studio-based show invites viewers to call in and take part in a variety of quizzes, puzzles and games (games on offer include skill-based, number and visual games) to win cash prizes. The show's hosts take live calls and announce winners on the air. It costs 60 pence per call to participate, and prizes range in value from £100 to a £5,000 jackpot.
ITV appears to have made a strategic commitment to participation TV: next year, the broadcaster plans to launch an interactive brand, called "ITV Play," which it says will offer participation TV quizzes and other play formats across its digital channels and on mobiles and the Web. The broadcaster also says that it is in discussions with a number of producers about developing a range of original participation TV formats that will be offered in association with its flagship programs. "Participation TV has traditionally suffered from the image of the lower quality examples of the genre, despite today's audiences expecting to interact with big shows like "X Factor" and "I'm A Celebrity…,'" Jane Marshall, commercial development director of ITV's Consumer division, said in a prepared statement. "Scheduling Quizmania on ITV1 comes as part of a carefully considered strategy to produce participation TV formats that are entertaining and high quality but also appeal to our mass-market ITV audiences." FremantleMedia, meanwhile, says that it is in discussions with "several broadcasters worldwide" about offering the Quizmania format on their networks.
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