US television network NBC announced yesterday its plans for making quiz shows for young people based on video game QuizUp, created by Icelandic company Plain Vanilla.
The company’s CEO Þorsteinn B. Friðriksson told ruv.is that the network had approached him with the idea six months ago. “They said that the young people aren’t buying game shows anymore and wanted to do something new.”
Participants in the studio can earn up to USD 1 million (ISK 130 million, EUR 896,000). They will compete against people at home, who are playing the game using the QuizUp app on their iPads and smartphones.
President of Alternative & Late Night Programming at NBC Entertainment Paul Telegedy explained in a press release from NBC that the show is an effort to make television more interactive.
Initially, ten episodes will be made but if the show proves successful, it’s likely that more episodes will be made.
NBC is planning to present the show at a large fair in Cannes and it is possible that television networks in other countries will air QuizUp as well.
Þorsteinn said this feels kind of surreal given that NBC is the largest network in the US producing shows such as Saturday Night Live, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Voice.
QuizUp is the world’s most popular virtual quiz game with more than 75 million users.
