Are You Smarter Than an Amazon Streaming Executive?

As a seasoned television executive with a deep-rooted passion for game shows, I find myself utterly captivated by the recent surge of these timeless formats on Amazon Prime Video. Having grown up watching the likes of The $25,000 Pyramid and Shop ‘Til You Drop, it’s like stepping into a dream world to see these titles making a comeback, albeit with a modern twist.

In a span of just a few months following its initial foray into game shows with “The 1% Club” hosted by Patton Oswald, Amazon Prime Video is gearing up to significantly increase its involvement in this genre. Beginning next month, the streaming service intends to debut no less than four new game shows within a seven-week period, ranging from “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” hosted by Travis Kelce to a spinoff of “Jeopardy!” centered around pop culture and hosted by Colin Jost from Saturday Night Live. What makes this move intriguing is not just the focus on game shows, but rather the innovative approach Amazon Prime Video plans to adopt for releasing and promoting these shows.

Following the tradition of “Must-See TV” Thursdays and “TGIF,” Buffering is introducing “Winning Wednesdays.” This means that every week, three new game shows from Prime will be released simultaneously, offering viewers a consistent block of thematically related entertainment, especially for families, who can open the Prime Video app weekly to enjoy an entire night’s worth of programming.

Although it might seem basic knowledge about Linear TV, most significant streamers have generally avoided direct efforts to establish weekly schedules. However, Lauren Anderson, who manages Amazon’s push into game shows and holds the title of head of brand and content innovation for Amazon MGM Studios, suggests there is no reason to feel embarrassed about adopting strategies from traditional TV. “The distinction between what is broadcast and what is streaming is becoming increasingly unclear,” Anderson explains. “Many customers appreciate some of the patterns that were developed on the broadcast side, even as they enjoy the convenience of streaming.

Amazon has demonstrated its inclination to diverge from conventional streaming trends in release patterns and programming strategies on multiple occasions. For instance, with the introduction of the 1% Club, Amazon struck a unique deal with Fox Broadcasting. This arrangement allowed episodes of the series (originally intended for exclusive Prime viewing) to air first on linear TV, followed by streaming exclusively on Prime, but not Hulu where all other Fox primetime shows are housed. Similarly, Freevee, Amazon’s sister streamer, releases new episodes of Judge Judy Sheindlin’s Judy Justice five days a week, mirroring the air pattern of her long-running syndicated show.

Anderson explains that just as we decided Judy was capable of daily programming, the same logic applied when considering game shows. He suggests that these decisions provide customers with what they desire in a format they prefer. Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of being flexible with release strategies, often questioning himself and his team: “Why not?” This encourages an open-minded approach to various possibilities.

Since Prime is unfamiliar with the programming-block format, as well as game shows in general, they plan to introduce Winning Wednesdays gradually. Each new show will have its own dedicated premiere and Prime will experiment with the number of episodes released weekly, providing a chance for each title to shine individually. Here’s an overview of the launch schedule (take a peek at the promo for the new lineup, including the first glimpse of Pop Culture Jeopardy!, below):

➽ I’m super excited to share that starting Wednesday, October 16th, I’ll be diving into a mini-binge of the new series “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?“, releasing its first three episodes all at once! Each week thereafter, a new episode will follow every Wednesday, all the way through mid-February (totaling 20 episodes). This show takes the popular quiz format from Fox’s hit series “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” and gives it a fresh twist. Instead of facing off against a fifth grader, one contestant finds themselves in a “classroom” with five famous faces hailing from comedy, sports, and entertainment, such as Nikki Glaser, Nicole Byer, Chad Ochocinco, and Lala Kent. It’s going to be an absolute blast!

In approximately two weeks, on October 30, the show “Buy It Now” debuts, which is a blend of reality and game shows, similar to Shark Tank, hosted by J.B. Smoove. Entrepreneurs have an opportunity to present their products initially to a live audience, followed by a panel consisting of Amazon executives and renowned business owners such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Anderson, and Christian Siriano. Successful entrepreneurs receive the benefit of being featured in a dedicated “Buy It Now” storefront on Amazon (a clever tie-in!), while one contestant per episode also takes home a $20,000 cash prize. Following its initial three episodes, new installments will be released weekly until January 8.

Just before Thanksgiving, on November 20th, an exciting event called “Wish List Games” takes place, hosted by Nick Cannon from “The Masked Singer.” In this half-hour show, contestants go head-to-head in a variety of outrageous games and challenges. The grand prize? Whatever’s on the winner’s Amazon Wish List, up to a total value of $25,000. Unlike other shows in the Prime game show lineup, “Wish List Games” will air all five episodes simultaneously, creating a sort of festive event for the holidays.

➽ On December 4th, the concluding and most significant piece of the “Winning Wednesdays” puzzle will be revealed with the debut of “Pop Culture Jeopardy!”. Teams of three will go head-to-head in a tournament format in this spin-off of the classic syndicated quiz show. SNL’s Colin Jost will take on the role as host. Amazon Prime has commissioned an impressive 40 episodes of the new “Jeopardy!”, enabling it to air three fresh episodes every week until February, providing fans with a steady supply of trivia fun.

Are You Smarter Than an Amazon Streaming Executive?

When the revamped version of “Jeopardy!” premieres, Wednesdays on Prime will become packed with five episodes of three distinct game shows airing weekly, mimicking the atmosphere of a traditional broadcast network’s prime-time schedule, but catered towards streaming viewers. Remarkably, Anderson and her team didn’t finalize the concept of creating a game show block until after the shows had already been scheduled for production. “It wasn’t planned,” she admits. “They were all produced at different times and on separate schedules. But as they came in, we thought, ‘This would be fantastic.’ We wanted to establish our presence.

Anderson attributes the unique release strategy for the show to Prime’s scheduling team, believing that grouping them under the title “Victorious Wednesdays” could make them more noticeable. It’s beneficial too that game shows can still generate numerous episodes at a reasonable cost compared to scripted series which typically have eight or ten episodes as standard. As Anderson explains, having ample episodes allows for creative freedom to create fun, intriguing, and distinctive content.

The factor of producing numerous episodes at a reasonable cost certainly contributed to Prime’s choice to delve into game shows, but according to Anderson, the enduring appeal of quizzes among television viewers was a more significant influence. As she puts it, “It’s one of those genres that has been around for a while and continues to thrive because people enjoy it.” She points out that classic game shows perform well on Amazon’s Freevee platform, which hosts content from game show networks like Buzzr and GSN. Furthermore, the family-friendly nature of games facilitates attracting larger audiences and simultaneous viewing by different generations, a factor that has become increasingly important given that Prime Video now offers ad-supported content by default. “Game shows are incredibly inclusive,” Anderson states. “They’re loved by many and provide fun for the whole family. All my decisions will always prioritize ‘What do audiences enjoy?’ first.

As we move forward past the first seasons of our current Winning Wednesdays lineup in February, it’s tentatively hinted that there might be a fresh batch of game shows in store, though nothing is set in stone yet. I can share that we have other projects planned beyond what we’ve already announced, but we’re taking things one step at a time. We want to gauge audience reactions first and then make informed decisions regarding the scheduling of additional game-related content, including the revival of American Gladiators, which was announced in June. This project, along with Are You Smarter?, are direct benefits of Amazon’s acquisition of MGM, and we have a host of other game and game-adjacent shows from their storied library that we’re seriously considering for development. We’re genuinely thrilled about the wealth of content that came to us with MGM!

Anderson’s enthusiasm for game shows has a personal touch: The executive confesses that she frequently revisits old episodes of iconic titles, notably ones starring celebrities from back then, like “The $25,000 Pyramid.” She expresses, “I really take pleasure in reminiscing about the guests who appeared and the discussions they had.” She also mentions, “I find it fascinating to be in that moment.” Intriguingly, when questioned by a game-show enthusiast journalist if she’s ever considered revamping other classic formats, Anderson acknowledges that she has indeed done so, referencing the ’90s hit “Shop ‘Til You Drop” as one instance.

Due to the intricacies of the television industry, reviving long-forgotten titles isn’t always straightforward. As she explains, “There are complexities involved that even I’m still discovering about the rights. It can be quite challenging. Sometimes, even with shows we’re actively working on, it requires determination to make things happen. But I’m known for my tenacity.

2024-09-26 21:54

Are You Smarter Than an Amazon Streaming Executive?

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