Buzzr Kicks Off 2017 With An Increased Market Presence

BURBANK, CA (January 18, 2017) – BUZZR, FremantleMedia’s retro game show network, is keeping the party going in 2017.  The network, which is currently available in 18 of the top 20 DMA markets and 21 of the top 25.  This past year, BUZZR was the first digital multicast network to establish an international presence with the BUZZR After Hours programming block on YES TV in Canada.  The network recently headed into the New Year offering its second annual A Betty White Christmas.  Showcasing the First Lady of Game Shows, BUZZR aired a marathon of content featuring Betty in vintage episodes of Match Game, Super Password, Tattletales, Body Language and To Tell the Truth, making for the perfect holiday television event. 

“As we rounded out the conclusion of the year-long celebration of the 75^th anniversary of the TV game show in 2016, we realized that we had achieved a number of the goals we had set out to accomplish with BUZZR,” said Ron Garfield, executive vice president and general manager of BUZZR. “We’ve created a multi-platform and multi-generational network for viewing retro game show content, providing 24 hour entertainment to our fans.  With more great things to come, we anticipate 2017 will be another year of growth and expansion for the BUZZR network.”

The network will kick off the New Year by hosting its second annual BUZZR Bowl.    The BUZZR Bowl will highlight some of the best athletic talent to grace the shiny game show floor, featuring Family Feud from 1989, where the Bengals faced off against the 49ers, and Match Game episodes featuring Detroit Lions’ Alex Karras as a panelist.  Episodes will air Jan 30 – Feb 3 from 8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/5:00 – 6:00 PM PT, with a second airing beginning at 11:00 PM ET/8:00 PM PT. Then on February 5^th, all of content that aired throughout the week will be included in a programming marathon from 1:00 – 6:00 PM ET/10:00 AM – 3:00 PM PT, with a second airing at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT. 

In conjunction with the BUZZR Bowl, BUZZR will be premiering a new on-air campaign known as Odd Jobs.  Through a series of unique promotional trailers, BUZZR will examine some of the behind-the-scenes roles that played an important part within the game show world.  Through this comical campaign of parodies, we’ll meet people such as Gladys, who trained the very best in prize models back in the day, perfecting their wrist swoosh for showcasing merchandise available to win.  Or Ken, responsible for sitting underneath the Match Game desk in order to catch cards from celebrities as they submitted their answers.  Risking the occupational hazard of paper cuts, Ken played a vital role on the Match Game set. 

BUZZR will be airing these first two trailers beginning February 6, 2017, with subsequent trailers releasing throughout the month and into March.  The network is offering a special sneak peek into the campaign with fans able to view the first two trailers here, prior to their airing on the network:

BUZZR was originally announced at NATPE 2015 and launched on June 1, later that same year.  The network is currently available in 18 of the top 20 DMA TV markets.  BUZZR is available on Fox owned and operated stations, in addition to carriage via numerous cable operators including Spectrum, Comcast/Xfinity, Verizon, Frontier, Cablevision, Cox and Charter to name a few.  

About BUZZR

BUZZR is a pop culture time capsule – an unending celebration where viewers can play along to some of FremantleMedia North America’s vast portfolio of more than 40,000 iconic game show episodes, which are shown around the clock. Featured titles include Family Feud, where you won’t want to miss the outrageously fun Richard Dawson kissing every female contestant; What’s My Line, featuring cultural icons becoming time-stamped contestants/panelists like a 29-year-old whip-smart Betty White and a young Muhammad Ali; as well as famed titles To Tell the Truth, Match Game, Password, Beat the Clock,Blockbusters and Card Sharks.  Visit the website at http://buzzrplay.com.

About FremantleMedia North America

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is a premier content studio. FMNA and its portfolio of companies, including Random House Studio, Original Productions and 495 Productions, create entertaining and innovative scripted and alternative programs for network, cable, syndicated and digital partners. Its diverse, critically-acclaimed and award-winning slate includes America’s Got Talent (NBC), Family Feud (SYN), Let’s Make A Deal (CBS), The Price Is Right (CBS), The Great Christmas Light Fight (ABC), Deadliest Catch (Discovery), Jay Leno’s Garage (CNBC) Married to Medicine (Bravo), Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party (VH1), Blue Collar Millionaires (CNBC), Ice Road Truckers (HISTORY), Storage Wars (A&E), Celebrity Family Feud (ABC), To Tell The Truth (ABC),Match Game (ABC) and American Gods (STARZ), among others. FMNA also operates BUZZR, a retro game show channel that launched in 2015, and is available in the top 10 U.S. markets, and 65 percent of  the country

FMNA is the U.S. arm of global media giant FremantleMedia, which includes a distribution arm, FremantleMedia International, a digital and branded entertainment division and a kids & family entertainment business.  As one of the world’s largest and most successful creators, producers and distributors of TV  brands in the world, FremantleMedia’s comprehensive global network has operations in 31 countries, creating over 10,000 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 45 formats and managing over 350 individual titles. The company also distributes more than 20,000 hours of content in over 200 territories. For more information follow us @FMNATV and visit our Facebook page.