The E.W. Scripps Company has signed a deal with MGM Domestic Television Distribution LLC (MGM), a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., as the syndication partner for its original game show, Let’s Ask America, in television markets nationwide after the successful launch of the show in Scripps markets last fall.
Let’s Ask America airs Monday through Friday at 7:30 p.m. and other timeslots in the 13 Scripps television markets. MGM will sell it to other broadcast groups, targeting the 7-8 p.m. access hour to prime time.
Let’s Ask America is a TV game show for the Internet age. Contestants with big personalities compete for cash prizes from their homes via webcams. Host Kevin Pereira tests their knowledge of the American mindset with provocative questions about current events and popular culture.
Following Let’s Ask America’s inaugural season in 2012, the readers of one of the industry’s leading voices, Buzzerblog, voted it the top new game show of the year. This season, Let’s Ask America is outperforming some of the biggest and best-established names in syndication. Through mid-October, weekday runs of Let’s Ask America outperformed syndicated shows including Millionaire, OMG! Insider, Family Feud and Two and a Half Men in household rating.
“Let’s Ask America offers audiences around the country the opportunity to participate in a game show for cash prizes right from their own living rooms,” said John Bryan, president Domestic Television Distribution, MGM. “We are thrilled to further our relationship with Scripps and to distribute this already successful program across all stations in markets nationwide.”
The show is produced in partnership with Telepictures and paraMedia Inc., with seasoned game show veterans Michael Canter and Jeff Krask serving as executive producers.
MGM already partners with Scripps, as well as Cox Media and Raycom Media, to syndicate RightThisMinute, a daily program that gives viewers the first look at the best Internet videos of the day before they go viral. RightThisMinute airs in 130 markets, representing 86 percent distribution across the country. Scripps solely owns another show, The List, an entertainment news program that allows viewers to get caught up on the top stories of the day.
“This deal extends the Scripps commitment to original program development,” said Brian Lawlor, senior vice president of the Scripps television division. “We have created strong partnerships that have led to high-quality television, and we’re not finished yet.”
The Scripps Television Station Group consists of 13 network-affiliated television stations located in Bakersfield, Calif.; Baltimore, Md.; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Denver; Detroit; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Mo.; Phoenix; San Diego; Tampa; Tulsa, Okla.; and West Palm Beach, Fla.
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and distribution of film and television content globally. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content. In addition, MGM has investments in domestic and international television channels. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (www.scripps.com) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of television, print and digital media brands. It owns 19 local television stations, daily newspapers in 13 markets across the United States, and an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses. Scripps also produces television programming, runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and serves as the long-time steward of one of the nation’s most successful educational programs, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1879, Scripps is focused on the stories of tomorrow.
Contacts
Carolyn Micheli, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3732
Kristin Cotich, MGM, 310-499-3606