The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: adamjk on August 22, 2004, 11:31:20 AM
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A recent post about having foreign game shows air in the states gave me an idea. What if someone came up with an international game show network? Every show is something that airs in another country. For shows that aren't in English, subtitles could be used. This way people can see full episodes of their favorite shows, as aired in other parts of the world. Or they could see original game show ideas from around the world if they so desired. What do you guys think? Could there be a market for this?
EDIT: The title should read international game show network. Sorry for the error.
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That'd be a great idea. My test market for this proposed channel you came up with should be either New York City or Los Angeles. I also like your idea of using subtitles for those who can't understand the language (i.e., learning German by watching Hopp Oder Top, Germany's version of $ale of the Century).
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[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 10:31 AM\'] Could there be a market for this?
[/quote]
In a word? No.
We saw a mostly-traditional-gamer network have to change because the format wasn't working so well... now you want a mostly-traditional-gamer-and-all-in-another-language network? No, I dont see that working.
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Well, if that doesn't work, what will? Maybe you could try an International channel that shows some Aussie, British, Canadian (in English), Indian (like the bilingual version of WWtBaM), Irish, New Zealand, and South Africa games would work. Would it?
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[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 11:22 AM\'] [quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 10:31 AM\'] Could there be a market for this?
[/quote]
In a word? No.
We saw a mostly-traditional-gamer network have to change because the format wasn't working so well... now you want a mostly-traditional-gamer-and-all-in-another-language network? No, I dont see that working. [/quote]
But it wouldn't be all other languages. Some shows would still be in english.
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[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 11:47 AM\'] [quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 11:22 AM\'] [quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 10:31 AM\'] Could there be a market for this?
[/quote]
In a word? No.
We saw a mostly-traditional-gamer network have to change because the format wasn't working so well... now you want a mostly-traditional-gamer-and-all-in-another-language network? No, I dont see that working. [/quote]
But it wouldn't be all other languages. Some shows would still be in english. [/quote]
That's why he didn't call it "Foreign Language Game Network" you moron. Widen your perspective a little, and maybe you'll be able to graduate from middle school by 2012.
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[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 12:47 PM\'] But it wouldn't be all other languages. Some shows would still be in english. [/quote]
You're still missing the point. If a nearly-all-game-shows network didn't work when all of the shows were in English and from the USA, what makes you and gshowguy think that bringing in shows from outside the USA would work?
I know that YOU would like it, and I know that gshowguy would go positively orgasmic over such a network. That makes two viewers. Let's assume for the sake of argument that every member of this group would watch, so we can account for the hard-core game show fan contingent. That makes just over one thousand viewers.
The original GSN had far more than 1,000 viewers and it didn't work. Why would an international game show channel work, in English or otherwise? And you need to be more specific than "I would watch."
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[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 12:17 PM\'] [quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 11:47 AM\'] [quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 11:22 AM\'] [quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 10:31 AM\'] Could there be a market for this?
[/quote]
In a word? No.
We saw a mostly-traditional-gamer network have to change because the format wasn't working so well... now you want a mostly-traditional-gamer-and-all-in-another-language network? No, I dont see that working. [/quote]
But it wouldn't be all other languages. Some shows would still be in english. [/quote]
That's why he didn't call it "Foreign Language Game Network" you moron. Widen your perspective a little, and maybe you'll be able to graduate from middle school by 2012. [/quote]
But he did.
now you want a mostly-traditional-gamer-and-all-in-another-language network? No, I dont see that working.
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The original GSN had far more than 1,000 viewers and it didn't work. Why would an international game show channel work, in English or otherwise? And you need to be more specific than "I would watch."
I think people might be interested in game shows that have aired in other countries. You know to see what game shows are like in other parts of the world, and how shows like Wheel of Fortune compare to our US counterparts
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[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 01:34 PM\'] I think people might be interested in game shows that have aired in other countries. You know to see what game shows are like in other parts of the world, and how shows like Wheel of Fortune compare to our US counterparts [/quote]
Do you honestly believe that the number of people who want to "see what game shows are like in other parts of the world" is higher -- or even as high -- as the number of people who want to see game shows from the USA? And I'm not talking about the number of people who want to see it once... for your idea to work, they'd have to want to see such shows regularly, or else your network won't sustain itself.
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You never know. After all, if people didn't want to see shows from other countries you wouldn't have a network like BBC America.
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[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 01:38 PM\'] You never know. After all, if people didn't want to see shows from other countries you wouldn't have a network like BBC America. [/quote]
But BBC America airs a wide range of shows. Do you really think it would have worked if it were all British game shows?
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Unless the channel was called "BBC Game", NO.
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Also, for now, if we were to do a channel dedicated to foreign game shows, I think I'd stick with shows from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India (that's a maybe), Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa. They all air game shows in English (India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is in both Hindi and English).
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[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 01:55 PM\'] Unless the channel was called "BBC Game", NO. [/quote]
And you truly believe that if it WERE called "BBC Game," it would work?
Remember -- an all-British-game-show channel didn't work IN BRITAIN. Why would it work here regardless of the title?
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[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 01:59 PM\'] Also, for now, if we were to do a channel dedicated to foreign game shows, I think I'd stick with shows from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India (that's a maybe), Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa. They all air game shows in English (India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is in both Hindi and English). [/quote]
I repeat: why would Americans want to see a channel featuring nothing but game shows from other countries, when they didn't want a channel featuring nothing but game shows from the USA?
Instead of thinking about "what gshowguy wants to see," try considering what a significant part of America would want to see.
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Well, if the Beeb cared less about the crap we call "reality television" and just games in general, something like "BBC Game" would work.
Besides, some Ameican people may be interested in foreign game shows as much as American ones, like me. I mean, Australia is what REALLY made "$ale of the Century" a household name like what Great Britain is to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".
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[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 02:15 PM\']Well, if the Beeb cared less about the crap we call "reality television" and just games in general, something like "BBC Game" would work.[/quote]
You're missing the point... AGAIN. An all-British-game-show channel has already been tried IN BRITAIN and it didn't work. Why would you want to do it over again?
Besides, some Ameican people may be interested in foreign game shows as much as American ones, like me. I mean, Australia is what REALLY made "$ale of the Century" a household name like what Great Britain is to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".
"Some," yes. Do you truly believe that there are enough people like you to sustain such a network? Be honest.
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Not adding creedence to the ridiculous notion of IGSN (bad idea, 100%) US gameshows air in many parts of the world and do quite well.
Survivor, the Amazing Race, Jeopardy!, The Price is Right...to name 4. (and I'm not talking about their own versions either)
Other english speaking countries are willing to sample programming from outside their own boundaries...why not the Yanks? American elitism?
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Also, just to play Devil's advocate, Challenge TV's most popular show is Takeshi's Castle (Japanese), and World Poker Tour rates highly. And they're about to start showing foreign versions of Fort Boyard in October.
But I have to take issue with the BBC concentrating on "reality crap". It barely does any, really. DIY shows on the other hand...
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If such a channel takes off, why limit it to foreign shows? They could show TJW or NYSI dubbed into Hindi. --------:/
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I dunno. Who's wanted to wait for so long to hear Pat Finn say "First definition... next definition..." in Hindi?
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[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 08:43 AM\'] I dunno. Who's wanted to wait for so long to hear Pat Finn say "First definition... next definition..." in Hindi? [/quote]
Hmm...Good point.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 09:26 AM\'] If such a channel takes off, why limit it to foreign shows? They could show TJW or NYSI dubbed into Hindi. --------:/ [/quote]
Why not remake some shows for foreign markets! Think of the possibilities...
Remake WoF in Chinese - the used letter board would be REAL long, though..
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One smart thing you can do to Challenge TV, if you live in England, is to e-mail them that you want more game shows.
And speaking of WoF for the Chinese market, I doubt anyone would want to hear Pat Sajak speak Chinese. Making a Chinese version of WoF would be better in my opinion.
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[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 09:53 AM\'] One smart thing you can do to Challenge TV, if you live in England, is to e-mail them that you want more game shows. [/quote]
One even smarter thing you can do is to realize that if more game shows would draw viewers, they'd have stayed with the all-game-show schedule they used to have.
Where DO you get the idea that your obsession is shared by enough people to make such a network viable?
And speaking of WoF for the Chinese market, I doubt anyone would want to hear Pat Sajak speak Chinese. Making a Chinese version of WoF would be better in my opinion.
I don't believe that anyone suggested having Pat Sajak speak Chinese.
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[quote name=\'gshowguy\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 09:53 AM\'] And speaking of WoF for the Chinese market, I doubt anyone would want to hear Pat Sajak speak Chinese. Making a Chinese version of WoF would be better in my opinion. [/quote]
That is exactly what I had said in my post.
If you don't want to be branded an idiot, one thing you can do is make sure you READ EVERY POST.
Oh, wait - you've already done that - which explains reviving posts from the disco era.
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Just want to repeat a thought I heard, probably on these boards: What we think of as a cable channel has not succeeded when it aired exclusively "traditional game shows." However, one day digital technology may give us all sorts of programming on demand. It might be a new kind of cable, akin to PPV, or it might be Internet content, but it will be a bonanza for niche market viewers.
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Does anybody remember having a cable channel in the mid-80's, possibly shared with another channel, with the variety-type Italian game shows? We had it for a while here in Michigan, but I don't remember what it was called, nor did I tape it.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Aug 27 2004, 01:29 AM\'] Does anybody remember having a cable channel in the mid-80's, possibly shared with another channel, with the variety-type Italian game shows? We had it for a while here in Michigan, but I don't remember what it was called, nor did I tape it. [/quote]
Our cable provider's public access station used to air foreign language programming (primarily Russian and Italian), possibly through the same channel Jimmy mentioned. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of the network since it was over a decade ago, possibly over 15 years ago. I remember the video and audio quality of the shows was horrible, like all programming on that channel was recorded on VHS tapes.
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[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Aug 27 2004, 01:46 AM\'] Our cable provider's public access station used to air foreign language programming (primarily Russian and Italian), possibly through the same channel Jimmy mentioned. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of the network since it was over a decade ago, possibly over 15 years ago. I remember the video and audio quality of the shows was horrible, like all programming on that channel was recorded on VHS tapes. [/quote]
This is called "grasping at straws"...
SPN (Satellite Program Network) and Tempo come to mind, two long-gone and forgotten cable channels of the '80s...
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[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Aug 27 2004, 08:21 AM\'] This is called "grasping at straws"...
SPN (Satellite Program Network) and Tempo come to mind, two long-gone and forgotten cable channels of the '80s... [/quote]
Actually, SPN and Tempo were one and the same -- the latter was just a new name for the former.
We have a cable channel here called Rochester First International Television; it airs Telemundo most of the day but also imports Italian programming from RAI International and other foreign-language shows (primarily Russian and Chinese) from Toronto's OMNI.1. An occasional game show was among the RAI offerings a long time ago, but up to January -- when I replaced cable with DirecTV -- I hadn't seen any for a couple of years at least.
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[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Aug 27 2004, 07:42 AM\'] We have a cable channel here called Rochester First International Television; it airs Telemundo most of the day but also imports Italian programming from RAI International and other foreign-language shows (primarily Russian and Chinese) from Toronto's OMNI.1. An occasional game show was among the RAI offerings a long time ago, but up to January -- when I replaced cable with DirecTV -- I hadn't seen any for a couple of years at least. [/quote]
My local station of KTSF at one point aired Italian programming, but they focus more on the Far East. I vaguely remember there was a game show in Japan that involved four teams of two and four "professors". It was played somewhat like Balderdash, only the teams weren't trying to seperate truth from balderdash. They had to find out which professor gave the correct answer (luckily, when a question came up on the screen, there was a second set of text in English so that you could make out the Japanese writing, especially when a professor gave an answer). Whichever team(s) got a correct answer earned 10 points in the first round, double that in second, double that again in third. And the question procedure was pretty long, too. Anyone else remember this?