TBS set to debut interactive live TV game show

By Andrew Wallenstein

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – TBS is preparing to
launch U.S. television’s first fully interactive live game
show.

Beginning August 28, “Midnight Money Madness” will screen
four nights a week, Monday-Thursday, at midnight. The two-hour
program will be staged twice per night from its base in Los
Angeles, first for East Coast viewers and then again for the
West Coast. TBS has committed to an eight-week trial.

There will be no contestants or audience in the studio. The
viewers will be the contestants, and they can participate by
registering their phone numbers through a 1-900 number, the
Internet or SMS text messaging.

“Madness” contacts potential players, who will be piped in
on-air to answer trivia questions or solve puzzles for cash
prizes. A pair of hosts will preside over the show; their deals
are being finalized.

“This is a great opportunity to learn and be part of the
text-messaging phenomenon,” said Steve Koonin, executive vp and
chief operating officer of Time Warner-owned TBS and TNT. “It
could be like ‘Dialing for Dollars’ for the next generation.”

“Madness” will test the domestic viability of a genre known
as “participation TV” or “call TV.” The show’s producer,
Endemol, has launched many formats relying on home-viewer
participation in more than 20 countries over the years,
including “Puzzle Time,” “Brainteaser” and “Quiz Night Live.”
British broadcaster ITV in March launched an entire call TV
digital channel, ITV Play.

“From an Endemol perspective, this is not new,” said Jon
Vlassopulos, vp business development, strategic planning and
digital media at Endemol USA. “For the U.S., it’s definitely
new.”

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter