Pop Monkey Secures International Rights to Catch 21

LOS ANGELES: Pop Monkey Productions has inked a deal with veteran game-show creator Merrill Heatter to secure the international format rights to GSN’s Catch 21, as well as to represent Heatter’s upcoming game show, Hollywood Teasers.

Catch 21, which is currently in its fourth season on GSN, combines the card game “21” with contemporary pop-culture questions. Contestants earn a card for each correct answer, and they can use those cards to improve their own hand or to take down the competition.

Heatter’s upcoming game-show format, Hollywood Teasers, updates Hollywood Squares, another Heatter creation that ran from 1966 to 2004, and adds a new word game that challenges celebrity contestants.

Pop Monkey Productions was recently launched by U.S. TV veterans Syd Vinnedge and Hugh Wright with U.K. TV executives Chuck Thomas and Simone Thorogood.

Speaking on the deals, Heatter said: “Pop Monkey impressed me with a vision to not only bring this superb format to TV audiences around the world but to also create multi-platform elements. It’s very exciting to be in business with them”.

Pop Monkey’s Wright added: "It’s tremendous to be working with a game show pioneer like Merrill on Catch 21. As GSN has proven over four seasons, the show rapidly finds a high rating audience.”