Buzzr

History

The BUZZR brand was first used by Fremantle for a YouTube channel created and produced by its digital content studio Tiny Riot, which debuted in late 2014. The BUZZR YouTube channel features classic clips, and short-form adaptations of its game show properties (such as Family Feud and Password), with internet celebrities as contestants, primarily aimed towards millennials.

On January 20, 2015, FremantleMedia announced that it would launch BUZZR, a digital multicast network that would serve as an extension of the brand; the network, with the Fox Television Stations as its charter station group. BUZZR features classic game shows from the company's programming library.Thom Beers, former CEO of FremantleMedia North America, stated his interest in launching a network centered on its game show content after he joined the company in 2012, calling such a project a "top priority" for Fremantle as a way to help monetize the value of its library. The company intended to focus BUZZR toward older adults, with Beers citing that the "old-format game shows are really, really hard [for the younger viewership that the BUZZR YouTube channel targets] to watch."

The BUZZR television network debuted on June 1, 2015, with the launch preceded by a preview reel outlining its initial programming that aired in an eight-hour continuous loop, starting at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The network formally launched that evening at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time with the 1963 pilot episode of Let's Make a Deal as the first show to be broadcast.

In February 2016, Fremantle was sued by Codename Enterprises, a New York-based web development firm, for trademark infringement, dilution, and unfair competition, as it has done business under the name "Buzzr" since 2009. The suit argued that Fremantle's use of the brand on its YouTube channel had associated it with objectionable content, and alleged that Fremantle had displaced its own YouTube channel URL to point towards it.

In 2016, to celebrate the upcoming 75th year of the genre, the network plans to create a story arc of the game show with new episodes of favorable classics, along with additional promotions and special marathons all year long.

In October 2016, FremantleMedia and Canadian video game company Ludia teamed up to create a slot machine app based on BUZZR's programming. The name of the app is called the "BUZZR Casino" based on their prime-time programming block.

Programming

FremantleMedia has a library of game shows, spanning 154 series and an estimated 40,000 episodes overall, but only a small amount of shows form BUZZR's core programming. The network's claimed initial lineup – with series produced from the 1950s to 2000 – includes such programs as To Tell the Truth, Password, Family Feud (encompassing episodes beginning with Richard Dawson as host and dating up to John O'Hurley's tenure), Let's Make a Deal (from Monty Hall's runs as host), What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, Beat the Clock, Card Sharks, and Match Game. The Price Is Right could also be included as part of the schedule. Most of the original episodes' content is intact (including product plugs), though in addition to the actual closings (which usually say either "A Mark Goodson/Bill Todman Production" or "A Mark Goodson Television Production"), the FremantleMedia logo is also seen at the end of its shows.

Current programming

Affiliates

As of February 2016, BUZZR has current subchannel affiliation agreements with television stations in 53 media markets encompassing 26 states and the District of Columbia, covering over 60% of media markets in the United States.

Fox Television Stations was announced as the network's initial affiliate group, airing BUZZR on 12 Fox owned-and-operated stations (including a satellite station of Orlando O&O WOFL, whose sister station WRBW serves as that market's affiliate) and five MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated stations. BUZZR has affiliates in all 10 of the largest and 15 of the 20 largest U.S. television markets (including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston-Manchester and Dallas–Fort Worth), with an initial reach of 37% of U.S. television homes. In four of the network's launch markets (New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas–Fort Worth, and Phoenix), BUZZR is affiliated with stations whose subchannels the network occupies were previously affiliated with Bounce TV; as a result of a March 2014 agreement with Univision Communications, Bounce TV moved its affiliations in those markets to Univision-owned stations in late May 2015, shortly before BUZZR launched.

Debmar-Mercury (which serves as the distribution partner for the current syndicated run of the Fremantle-produced Family Feud) was hired by FremantleMedia to handle responsibility for the recruitment of affiliates through agreements with other broadcasting companies. The network hopes to expand its charter affiliate footprint to reach markets covering 50 million U.S. households with at least one television set.

In September 2016, Yes TV, a small Canadian television system with stations in Ontario and Alberta, began airing a BUZZR-branded programming block of classic game shows called "BUZZR After Hours" overnight weeknights from 1:00 to 4:00 a.m. local time.