NBC is catering to trivia buffs with its new interactive game show series QuizUp, based on the wildly popular app of the same name. QuizUp announced Wednesday that the network has ordered a 10-episodes series, making it the first app-to-TV experience. The game will pit in-studio contestants against app users, who will compete in real-time from home (or wherever they happen to be) on their mobile devices.
For contestants, the challenge will be to win eight rounds against different at-home competitors for a chance to earn up to $1 million. At-home players have a huge reason to give them a run for their money, though; they’ll be rewarded with the round’s prize money if they come out on top. It’s a strong incentive for the apps 75 million users to get involved.
In order to be one of the at-home players, users will have to qualify through the QuizUp app. Whether or not they qualify, though, they’ll get to see how they stack up against the show’s contestants; the app will allow the audience to play along with the QuizUp broadcast.
“QuizUp has tapped into the universal passion for trivia with a first-in-class app and this television show is a natural extension,” said Paul Telegdy, president of alternative and late night programming at NBC Entertainment in a press release. “This series will turn the most popular trivia app in the world into a fun television event where everyone can play and anyone can win. It doesn’t get more interactive than that!”
To create the show, NBC teamed up with the studio behind QuizUp, Plain Vanilla Corp. The series comes from Wes Kauble and Jeff Apploff, who also serves as executive producer, and is produced by Universal Television and Apploff Entertainment.
The series format hasn’t beena announced yet, but NBC plans to unveil it at MIPCOM on Oct. 4-7.