Why Aren't There More Game Shows on Streaming?

The television industry has seen a recent surge in popularity of classic and new game shows. These quiz shows typically perform well in prime time viewing, despite their low production costs. Given the streaming platforms' tendency toward reality and comedy shows with game show elements, it is surprising that they have not jumped on the bandwagon, producing more original game show content.

There are some indications that this may be changing. Recently, two new game shows were produced in association with Amazon MGM Studios. These shows have the potential to air on one of the streaming platforms owned by the company. Amazon's Prime Video has also hired comedian Patton Oswalt to host a new adaptation of the game show The 1% Club, which will air on the Fox broadcast network eight days after it premieres on Prime Video. This provides a unique opportunity for the show to find an audience and build awareness, while also providing Fox with original content at a lower cost.

This arrangement also likely lowered the per-episode cost of the show for Amazon. However, the primary purpose of the deal may be to build a case for opening more secondary windows for some of its more broadcast-friendly originals, in order to increase revenue. Advertising may also be a reason that streamers are beginning to focus more on game shows. With streaming platforms, advertisers want to reach audiences as often as possible across all kinds of programming.

Game shows can draw audiences week after week, meaning fast-food restaurants, soda sellers, and other advertisers can reach audiences regularly. With the huge number of streaming platforms and their need for content, streamers may begin to look more at game shows as a low-cost, high-interest format. With the tendency of digital networks to mimic linear predecessors, it is possible that we will see more streamers jumping on the game show bandwagon.