Case Study: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Brand extensions, from board games to digital apps, continue to build out the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? brand for Sony Pictures Television’s 2waytraffic.

With countless international iterations and a slew of brand extensions, the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (WWTBAM?) format has been a massive hit for Sony Pictures Television’s 2waytraffic. It’s among the most well-known titles in the format business, and for good reason; it’s been more than a decade since the show first launched and the brand is still as strong as ever, and is constantly growing.

"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was conceived by David Briggs, Steve Knight and Mike Whitehall—who used to work together at London’s Capital Radio—over a pub lunch," explains Ed Louwerse, the managing director of 2waytraffic. "The original title they came up with was Cash Mountain and they took the idea to U.K. production company Celador. Managing director Paul Smith saw the potential in the format, but had to face enormous challenges in getting the show on air, and took huge financial risks to do so."

He continues, "The show was first pitched by Paul to Claudia Rosencrantz at ITV in 1996 who liked the idea, but it wasn’t until David Liddiment joined in 1997 that the show was finally commissioned. It began broadcasting in 1998 and the rest is history."

The first international version launched in Holland in 1999, and since then, the show has been formatted in more than 116 countries, with 83 productions in different languages.

The simple game play of WWTBAM? lends itself quite naturally for brand extensions. Board games, quiz books and in-show competitions surrounding the show first launched in 2000. The same year, a deal was signed with Ceefax to host the game, marking the first deal of its kind for the British teletext service. The brand has since expanded to include interactive DVDs, console games, Internet games and mobile apps in more than 39 territories.

Louwerse says that selling the canned versions of a game show is usually a challenge, but WWTBAM? "has broken the mold and sold successfully around the world." Completed versions of the show have been licensed as the U.K. (on Challenge), Africa, Poland, Russia, New Zealand and Ireland.

"It is an amazing format!" says Louwerse. "The concept is simple yet gripping and aspirational, striking a chord with viewers from all walks of life and all around the world. We also manage the brand very carefully."

He says the team works constantly to refresh and update the show in each territory while always staying true to the brand values. The updates vary from simple changes, such as introducing a new lifeline, to a more complex rollout of a faster-paced version of the format.

"In Australia, following years of success as the classic format, the Hot Seat version of WWTBAM? launched on Nine Network in 2009 and was an instant hit, boosting the audiences to its weekday slot by around a third," Louwerse explains. "With an average share of 23 percent, Hot Seat became one of Australia’s top game shows and now regularly outscores the slower-paced Network Ten rival Deal or No Deal.

"Likewise, the introduction of Hot Seat on RTP1 in Portugal refreshed interest in the show," he continues. "Its 2010 run peaked with one million viewers and a 31-percent share, 40-percent above the prime-time channel average."

The show is in its 13th year in the U.K., and innovation and adaptation has helped keep it fresh and interesting for viewers, says Louwerse. "In 2010 a number of changes to the show were introduced, such as the introduction of a ticking clock. This increased audiences by 13 percent among individuals and by 23 percent among the key commercial group, 16- to 34-year-olds. The first-ever live broadcast of the show in the U.K., at Christmas 2010, attracted nearly 7 million viewers, a 26-percent share. This year, ITV has scheduled a number of live celebrity WWTBAM? specials. The last one, School’s Out, in which celebrities played with their children, drew an audience of 4.6 million (a 22.51-percent share) for ITV1."

On average, WWTBAM? is airing in at least 30 international territories at any one time. New countries continue to sign up for the format as well, including recent deals in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka (two different language versions) and Ecuador. It also gets recommissioned constantly, says Louwerse. "Even in markets where the format has taken a break, we see it come back and relaunched," he adds, pointing to recent examples in Romania, the Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Switzerland and India.

"The brand is already very strong across world, but we’re continuing to secure new territories and will soon be in a position to announce even more new deals," says Louwerse. "We have our eye on rolling out the finished U.K. show in more markets, but we’re always careful not to jeopardize the local format opportunities, as our ultimate goal is to maintain WWTBAM? as one of the most successful locally adapted game shows in the world."