BUZZR CELEBRATES ITS FIRST BIRTHDAY WITH CONTINUOUS GROWTH, NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND ONE-OF-A-KIND RETRO PROGRAMMING
TV Network is Currently Available to 65% of US HH,
With Market Availability Quadrupling Since Launch
BURBANK, CA (June 1, 2016) – BUZZR is blowing out its first birthday candle with an inaugural year worthy of a celebration. After a full year of game show shenanigans, the retro network is inviting their rabid viewing audience to join in the festivities.
BUZZR launched on June 1, 2015. In just one year, network carriage has grown its coverage to 65% of U.S. DMA households. In addition, the number of markets the network is available in has quadrupled since the launch – with 67 markets now carrying BUZZR, including all Top 10 DMAs. Recent market launches include Denver, Sacramento, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Raleigh. Through BUZZR’s expanding relationship with their broadcast partners, the network is now also available on cable operators such as Time Warner, Comcast/Xfinity, Verizon, Cablevision, Cox and Charter to name a few.
“We’re thrilled with the growth during our first year, and would like to thank all of our broadcast partners,” said Ron Garfield, executive vice president and general manager of BUZZR. “Our growing and loyal viewing audience continues to demonstrate that game shows are one of America’s favorite past times and BUZZR is quickly becoming the go to destination for enjoying the greatest retro game show content.”
To commemorate one year of being on air, on June 1st, BUZZR is hosting a birthday bash. The network will showcase memorable game show milestones and anniversaries of I’ve Got A Secret, Family Feud with Richard Dawson, Press Your Luck, Super Password, To Tell The Truth, and What’s My Line. The special day of programming will also feature the 1987 pilot of Ray Combs’ Family Feud, previously unaired on TV, paired with the show’s first anniversary episode.
The birthday bash isn’t over yet - the first program to hit the BUZZR airwaves last year was the 1963 pilot of Let’s Make A Deal with host Monty Hall. To celebrate one year of crazy costumes and big deals, BUZZR will pull from its vault 80 vintage episodes of Let’s Make A Deal from 1985, none of which have previously aired on the network.
BUZZR has also introduced the BUZZR Birthday Scratcher Game, which started on May 30th and runs through June 1st. This is a three day giveaway where fans can enter to win daily prizes. Viewers can visit BUZZRplay.com for a fun and interactive digital scratcher to reveal an image and see if they have won.
As the month continues on, BUZZR will be offering game show fans a prep course for summer TV viewing. The network will provide to viewers a re-introduction to the iconic brands To Tell the Truth, Match Game and Celebrity Family Feud. All three of these shows will have new iterations produced by BUZZR’s parent company, FremantleMedia North America, premiering this summer on ABC primetime.
In order to re-acquaint fans with the To Tell the Truth and Match Game cherished brands, neither of which have been on TV with new episodes in decades, BUZZR will be airing marathons of vintage content, providing an in-depth look into the popularity of these games. The To Tell the Truth marathon will air on June 12th and will include the pilot episode which was entitled Nothing But the Truth and was hosted by Mike Wallace. This lost pilot episode was created in 1956 but has never aired on television. Then on June 20th, BUZZR will air a special week-long block of Match Game, including Mark Goodson’s re-imagined version from 1973 which defined the format into what we know today, as well as Celebrity Family Feud, including episodes with contestants from Leave It To Beaver and The Brady Bunch.
BUZZR’s birthday celebration pairs well with this year’s 75th anniversary of the television Game Show genre. The first game show to air on broadcast television was Truth or Consequences in 1941. Since then, game shows have become a tried and true form of entertainment throughout the globe, with BUZZR being the one place that fans can experience the most comprehensive look at this entertaining 75-year history. Standing the test of time, BUZZR allows fans to experience game shows through the decades – providing a time capsule featuring some of the best hosts, panels and contestants to appear within the genre.
Distribution efforts for BUZZR are being led by Debmar-Mercury.
