Buzzr

The Buzzr brand was first used by Fremantle for a YouTube channel created and produced by its digital content studio Tiny Riot, which debuted in late 2014. The Buzzr YouTube channel features classic clips, and short-form adaptations of its game show properties (such as Family Feud and Password), with internet celebrities as contestants, primarily aimed towards millennials.{{cite web|title=FremantleMedia Hits on 'Buzzr' YouTube Channel with Classic Game Show Reboots|url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/fremantlemedia-hits-on-buzzr-youtube-channel-with-classic-game-show-reboots-1201429965/|last=Spangler|first=Todd|work=Variety|date=February 10, 2015|access-date=February 11, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Albiniak|first1=Paige|title=Fox TV Stations Acquire Buzzr TV, New Multicast Net from FremantleMedia North America|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/syndication-and-distribution/fox-tv-stations-acquire-buzzr-tv-new-multicast-net-fremantlemedia-north-america/137216|access-date=January 23, 2015|work=Broadcasting and Cable|publisher=NewBay Media|date=January 20, 2015}}{{cite web|title=FremantleMedia Sued Over 'Buzzr' Game-Show TV Network Name|url=https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/fremantlemedia-buzzr-lawsuit-1201712899/|author=Todd Spangler|website=Variety|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=February 23, 2016|access-date=February 24, 2016}}

On January 20, 2015, FremantleMedia (as it was known then) announced that it would launch Buzzr, a digital multicast network that would serve as an extension of the brand; the network, with the Fox Television Stations as its charter station group. Buzzr features classic game shows from the company's programming library.{{cite news|title=Buzzr TV Joins TV Diginet Race|url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/242104/buzzr-tv-joins-tv-diginet-race.html|author=Wayne Friedman|website=MediaPost|publisher=MediaPost Communications|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=January 23, 2015}}{{cite news|title=Fox Stations to Launch Game Show Digital Channel From FremantleMedia|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/fox-stations-to-launch-game-show-digital-channel-from-fremantlemedia-1201409379/|author=Cynthia Littleton|periodical=Variety|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=January 23, 2015}}{{cite news|title=Retro Game Shows Find a New Network Home|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/article/212/retro-game-shows-find-a-new-network-home/|author=Michael Schneider|website=tvinsider|publisher=tvinsider.com|access-date=January 27, 2015}} Thom Beers, former CEO of FremantleMedia North America, stated his interest in launching a network centered on its game show content after he joined the company in 2012, calling such a project a "top priority" for Fremantle as a way to help monetize the value of its library. The company intended to focus Buzzr toward older adults, with Beers citing that the "old-format game shows are really, really hard [for the younger viewership that the Buzzr YouTube channel targets] to watch."

The Buzzr television network debuted on June 1, 2015, with the launch preceded by a preview reel outlining its initial programming that aired in an eight-hour continuous loop, starting at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone. The network formally launched that evening at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time with the 1963 pilot episode of Let's Make a Deal as the first show to be broadcast.{{cite web|title=Fremantle builds up Buzzr team|url=https://www.c21media.net/fremantle-builds-up-buzzr-team/|author=Clive Whittingham|website=C21 Media|publisher=C21 Media Limited|date=April 14, 2015}}{{cite news|title=Monty Hall makes 'Deal' for classic games|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/06/01/monty-hall-wayne-brady-talk-classic-game-shows-as-new-format-buzzr-tv-launches/28175837/|newspaper=USA Today|publisher=Gannett Company|date=June 1, 2015}}{{cite press release|title=New Digital Multicast Network Buzr Launches Today, June 1, 2015|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/06/01/new-digital-multicast-network-buzr-launches-today-june-1-2015/410603/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602094245/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/06/01/new-digital-multicast-network-buzr-launches-today-june-1-2015/410603/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 2, 2015|last=Kondolojy|first=Amanda|work=TV by the Numbers|date=June 1, 2015|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

In 2016, to celebrate the upcoming 75th year of the genre,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv8DaVDQiMc|title=75th Anniversary of the TV Game Show|last=BUZZRPlus|date=January 6, 2016|via=YouTube}} the network created a story arc of the game show with new episodes of favorable classics, along with additional promotions and special marathons all year long. Additionally, that fall, FremantleMedia began leasing select episodes of Card Sharks with Bill Rafferty and Family Feud with Louie Anderson for weekend airings on their affiliates' main channels, though this practice ended after a single season.

In October 2016, FremantleMedia and Canadian video game company Ludia teamed up to create a slot machine app based on Buzzr's programming. The name of the app is called the "Buzzr Casino"{{cite web|url=http://www.ludia.com/en/games/buzzr-casino|title=BUZZR Casino - Ludia|website=www.ludia.com}} based on their former prime-time programming block.

On March 27, 2017, Buzzr began airing paid and religious programming from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekdays, and from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on weekends. On January 1, 2018, paid and religious programming was also added to the 5:00 a.m. hour for both weekdays and weekends. However, Buzzr went back to airing game shows in the 5:00 a.m. hour on June 26, 2018.

In June 2018, Buzzr launched a live stream hosted on their website, which mirrors the network broadcast.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/the-tv-network-buzzr-is-launching-a-free-online-stream/|title=The TV Network Buzzr is Launching a FREE Online Stream|last=Bouma|first=Luke|date=May 31, 2018|website=Cord Cutters News|language=en-US|access-date=May 16, 2019}}

On November 15, 2021, Buzzr began airing and promoting The Newlywed Game for over the air and cable broadcast only; this was possibly due to licensing issues with Sony Pictures Television, the owners of The Newlywed Game and the rest of the Chuck Barris library, that prohibited Buzzr from streaming it. The online stream instead broadcast Family Feud with Richard Dawson in its place.Tweet of BUZZR's Twitter Publicly announcing The Newlywed Game https://twitter.com/BUZZRtv/status/1450492194809319424The Newlywed Game Promo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkveyfLrPcEA Video showing the online stream around the time while The Newlywed Game was airing on TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lu2kTNPToY This arrangement continued until January 9, 2022, when The Newlywed Game was finally made available for all Buzzr viewers over the air, cable, and streaming.

On January 24, 2022, Mark Deetjen, executive producer of global channels at Fremantle and the general manager of Buzzr, died at the age of 50.{{Cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/mark-deetjen-dies-fremantle-executive-233013745.html|title=Mark Deetjen Dies: Fremantle Executive and Buzzr Channel Boss was 50|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=March 10, 2022|website=Yahoo! Sports|language=en-US|access-date=March 10, 2022}}

{{main|List of programs broadcast by Buzzr}}

Fremantle's library of game shows spanned 154 series and an estimated 40,000 episodes overall at the time of its launch, from which Buzzr draws its programming.{{cite magazine|title=Fox Television Stations gets rights to classic game show library Buzzr TV|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/01/20/fox-tv-stations-pick-up-classic-game-show-library-buzzr-tv|author=Megan Daley|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time Inc.|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=January 23, 2015}} The network's regular lineup – with series produced from the 1950s to 2000 – includes such programs as To Tell the Truth, Password, Family Feud (encompassing episodes beginning with Richard Dawson as host and dating up to John O'Hurley's tenure), What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, Beat the Clock, Card Sharks, Body Language, Match Game{{cite news|title=Fox TV Stations Bolsters Game Show Content With Buzzr TV|url=https://deadline.com/2015/01/fox-tv-stations-games-shows-buzzr-tv-fremantlemedia-north-america-debmar-mercury-1201353525/|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=January 23, 2015}} (including, beginning in 2019, the Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, which, up until then, had never been shown in reruns){{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/match-game-hollywood-squares-hour-streaming-buzzr.html|title=Holy [Blank]: The Long-Lost Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour Returns to TV After 35-Year Absence|last=Adalian|first=Josef|date=February 1, 2019 |website=www.vulture.com |access-date=February 1, 2019}} and the original 1950s & 1960s version of The Price Is Right hosted by Bill Cullen.{{cite news|title=Fox TV Stations to Air Classic Game Shows From Buzzr TV's Massive Library|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-tv-stations-air-classic-764821|author=Alex Ben Block|periodical=The Hollywood Reporter|publisher=Guggenheim Digital Media|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=January 23, 2015}} Episodes from the Bob Barker era of The Price Is Right were made available in May 2024 after several years of negotiation, beginning with the season 13 premiere.{{Cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=May 13, 2024 |title=Bob Barker's Back on Daytime TV |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/price-is-right-with-bob-barker-airing-on-buzzr-channel-daily.html |access-date=May 14, 2024 |website=Vulture |language=en}} In addition to the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman programs mentioned above, Buzzr's library includes Al Howard Productions (Supermarket Sweep), Bill Carruthers (Press Your Luck), Reg Grundy (Sale of the Century) and Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall (Let's Make a Deal, and Split Second, which would get revived by main competitor Game Show Network in April 2023) back catalogs. It occasionally licenses games from other sources, including a syndication deal with Burt Sugarman to carry Whew! beginning in September 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/08/70s-game-show-whew-to-air-on-retro-network-buzzr.html|title=Bizarre 'Lost' Game Show Whew! Is Returning to TV|work=Vulture|author=Josef Adalian|date=August 10, 2021|access-date=August 10, 2021}}

As of 2018, almost all of Buzzr's lineup consists of game shows that originally had aired between 1973 and 1993 (Match Game, Password, Family Feud and Supermarket Sweep, in particular, air multiple episodes each day), with select blocks of 1950s and 1960s panel shows also being featured. Celebrity Name Game and Temptation are the only recent game shows the network has aired. More obscure programs occasionally air as special program blocks, including the anthology series Lost and Found, featuring rare episodes, unsold pilots, and forgotten shows. On October 20, 2017, Buzzr debuted its first original program Game Changers. This documentary reviewed the history of the game show genre and featured interviews with game show personalities such as Alex Trebek, Wink Martindale and Drew Carey.{{cite web|title=Sneak Peek: Game Changers & Hosting|url=https://www.facebook.com/BUZZRplay/videos/vb.1594990200717769/1903972339819552/?type=3&theater|publisher=Buzzr|date=September 11, 2017}}

Buzzr airs a half hour of educational children's programming (cut from three hours shortly after the FCC eliminated rules requiring digital subchannels to carry such programs in late 2019), leading out of its weekend morning infomercial blocks to minimize interruption; Science Nation and Dog Tales air one episode each week. The channel carries two hours of infomercials each morning, a block that includes the televangelism series Through the Bible with Les Feldick (some of the online simulcasts of Buzzr do not carry the infomercials or Through the Bible due to restrictions on paid programming on those platforms). Other than these, the only non-game show related programming on Buzzr thus far was between September 14, 2017, and October 6, 2017, when episodes of Richard Simmons Dream Maker briefly appeared on the schedule, and a marathon of The Great Christmas Light Fight in November 2018 and on November 28, 2019.

In 2017, Buzzr began streaming its programming to Amazon Prime Video and Twitch; the Prime Video offering provides video on demand, while Twitch offered a linear feed separate from the over-the-air telecast. The Twitch stream would be discontinued on April 22, 2019.{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/1594990200717769/posts/2230030137213769/|title=We're sad to announce we will not be returning to Twitch.|website=Facebook}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nosey.com/channels/details/game-shows|title= Buzzr by Nosey|website=nosey}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Video/b?node=17402962011|title=Amazon.com: Vintage Game Shows: Prime Video|website=www.amazon.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.twitch.tv/buzzr|title=BUZZR - Twitch|website=Twitch}} Buzzr also provided some game show programming to Nosey, a site offering video-on-demand of daytime television in the United States reruns. The local Buzzr affiliate sub-channel is carried in some areas on the streaming services LocalBTV, Locast and {{Proper name|iGoCast}} (the streaming platform of KCKS-LD) as well.

In 2018, as part of their third birthday celebration, Buzzr{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzrtv.com/watch|title=BUZZR|website=www.buzzrtv.com}} launched a livestream of the over-the-air telecast on their website. Later that year, Buzzr was added to Pluto TV.{{cite web|url=https://www.mediaplaynews.com/pluto-tv-launches-classic-game-show-channel-buzzr/|title=Pluto TV Launches Classic Game Show Channel Buzzr |last=Prange|first=Stephanie|date=October 30, 2018|via=MediaPlayNews}}{{Cite web|url=https://pluto.tv/|title=Pluto TV - Drop In. Watch Free.|via=pluto.tv}}{{Cite web|url=https://pluto.tv/live-tv/buzzr|title=BUZZR on Pluto TV|via=pluto.tv}}

In 2019, Stirr, a free over-the-top service launched by Sinclair Broadcast Group, included Buzzr among its offerings.{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/16/local-tv-broadcaster-sinclair-launches-stirr-a-free-streaming-service-with-local-news-and-sports/|title=TV broadcaster Sinclair launches STIRR, a free streaming service with local news and sports|date=January 16, 2019 }} In a preliminary assessment released July 2019, Stirr stated that Buzzr was the most-watched national channel on the service and the second-most-watched overall (second only to the combined viewership of its Stirr City local channels).{{Cite web|url=https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/sinclairs-free-stirr-streaming-service-plans-to-add-12-new-channels-hits-1-million-downloads/|title=Sinclair's Free Stirr Streaming Service Plans to Add 12 New Channels & Hits 1 Million Downloads|first=Luke|last=Bouma|work=Cord Cutters News|date=July 17, 2019|access-date=July 17, 2019}}

On March 18, 2020, Sling TV added Buzzr to their service and made available to all its subscribers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/sling-tv-adds-the-classic-game-show-network-buzzr/|title=Sling TV Adds The Classic Game Show Network Buzzr|first=Luke|last=Bouma|work=Cord Cutters News|date=March 18, 2020|access-date=March 29, 2020}}

On December 1, 2020, Buzzr launched a spin-off channel, The Price Is Right: The Barker Era, a 24/7 channel on Pluto TV that exclusively carries episodes of The Price Is Right from Bob Barker's hosting tenure. The episodes started with Season 11 in 1982, the first year where animal-based products (such as fur coats) were no longer offered on the show at Barker's request.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/11/classic-the-price-is-right-episodes-streaming-pluto-tv.html|title=Watch Pluto's New Price Is Right Channel and Pretend You're Taking a Sick Day Again|first=Josef|last=Adalian|work=Vulture|date=November 30, 2020|access-date=November 30, 2020}} In a statement on Buzzr's FAQ page, the company stated that this was the only way to distribute the reruns because of an exclusivity agreement with CBS (since renegotiated) that prohibited any network or outlet not owned by CBS or parent company Paramount (of which Pluto TV is a subsidiary) from airing episodes of The Price Is Right from 1972 onward, meaning Buzzr could not carry the show over-the-air at the time.[https://www.buzzrtv.com/faq/ FAQ {{!}} BUZZR], retrieved September 8, 2021 However, Bill Cullen-era episodes of Price were exempt from this limitation, as those episodes originally aired on NBC/ABC, and thus were allowed to air on Buzzr. As of January 2023, episodes airing on The Price Is Right: The Barker Era range from September 13, 1982 (season 11) through October 11, 1985 (season 14, the last episode before Johnny Olson's death).{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} On February 8, 2022, The Price Is Right: The Barker Era was added to The Roku Channel; on the same day, a dedicated spin-off channel devoted to Supermarket Sweep was launched on the same platform.{{Cite web|author=Ashley Hovey|title=The Roku Channel rolls out 25 new live linear channels, new content includes A+E, Bob the Builder, Project Runway, FOX Weather, Price Is Right and more|url=https://www.roku.com/blog/the-roku-channel-linear-launch|date=February 8, 2022|access-date=September 15, 2022|website=Roku}} On November 27, 2023, three months after Barker's death, 60 episodes from the first season (1972–73) of The Price Is Right, which hasn't been shown on TV in two decades, were added to the channel's rotation, with the episodes curated from those in which no fur coats were offered as prizes, or whose videotape prints are deemed satisfactory enough to air.{{Cite web |last=Wassell |first=Kayla |date=November 17, 2023 |title=The Price Is Right: The Barker Era Channel Adds 60 "New" Episodes |url=https://cordcuttersnews.com/the-price-is-right-the-barker-era-channel-adds-60-new-episodes/ |access-date=November 22, 2023 |website=Cord Cutters News |language=en-US}}

A second Pluto spin-off channel featuring Wayne Brady's era of Let's Make a Deal was launched in July 2022, with episodes from the Monty Hall era continuing to air on Buzzr.Davis, Alex (July 1, 2022). [https://www.buzzerblog.com/2022/07/01/classic-lets-make-a-deal-comes-to-buzzr/ Classic Let’s Make A Deal Comes to Buzzr ]. Buzzerblog. Retrieved July 2, 2022.

To tie in with Buzzr's 8th anniversary as well as National Game Show Day, Buzzr launched two new spin-off channels on Pluto TV on June 1, 2023, with one dedicated to episodes of The Price Is Right from Drew Carey's era, beginning with Season 38 and another, entitled Family Feud Classic, showcasing episodes of Family Feud from the Richard Dawson and Ray Combs era.{{cite tweet|user=PlutoTV|number=1664407249488433153|title=What's better than a brand new game show channel? TWO brand new game show channels! Stream Family Feud Classic and The Price Is Right with Drew Carey 24/7 on Pluto TV!|date=June 1, 2023|access-date=June 16, 2023}}

They are also a part of the live stream section of the Amazon Freevee and The Roku Channel apps.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/10/free-streamers-apps-buzzr-pluto-tubi.html|title=No Subscriptions. Big Money: How Free Streamers Are Changing TV's Business Model|first=Josef|last=Adalian|work=Vulture|date=October 28, 2021|access-date=October 28, 2021}}

Streaming channels devoted to the current versions of To Tell the Truth and Press Your Luck were distributed via the online platforms of ABC, which carries the first-run episodes.{{Cite web |last=Bridge |first=Gavin |date=November 13, 2023 |title=What to Expect From Disney's FAST Expansion |url=https://variety.com/vip/disney-fast-expansion-what-to-expect-1235786180/ |access-date=April 5, 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} These were eliminated with the closure of ABC's mobile and smart-television apps in September 2023.{{Cite web |last=Betti |first=Tony |date=August 24, 2024 |title=ABC & Other Disney-Owned Network Streaming Apps Set To Shut Down Next Month |url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/disney-entertainment/disney-owned-network-apps-shutdown/ |access-date=October 6, 2024 |website=LaughingPlace.com |language=en-US}} DirecTV Stream added Buzzr, the extra TPIR channels, and Let's Make a Deal to its lineup.

{{As of|February 2016}}, Buzzr has current subchannel affiliation agreements with television stations in 53 media markets encompassing 26 states and the District of Columbia, covering over 60% of media markets in the United States.{{cite web|title=Stations for Network - Buzzr TV|url=http://rabbitears.info/search.php?request=network_search&network=Buzzr+TV|website=RabbitEars|access-date=February 13, 2015}}

Fox Television Stations was announced as the network's initial affiliate group, airing Buzzr on 12 Fox owned-and-operated stations and five MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated stations. Buzzr has affiliates in all 10 of the largest and 15 of the 20 largest U.S. television markets (including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston-Manchester, New Hampshire and Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas), with an initial reach of 37% of U.S. television homes. In four of the network's launch markets (New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas–Fort Worth, and Phoenix, Arizona), Buzzr is affiliated with stations whose subchannels the network occupies were previously affiliated with Bounce TV; as a result of a March 2014 agreement with Univision Communications, Bounce TV moved its affiliations in those markets to Univision-owned stations in late May 2015, shortly before Buzzr launched.{{cite web|title=Exclusive: Bounce TV Extends Univision Deal|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/currency/exclusive-bounce-tv-extends-univision-deal/129577|author=Jon Lafayette|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|date=March 4, 2014|publisher=NewBay Media|access-date=March 4, 2014}}

Debmar-Mercury (which serves as the distribution partner for the current syndicated run of the Fremantle-produced Family Feud) was hired by Fremantle to handle responsibility for the recruitment of affiliates through agreements with other broadcasting companies.{{cite news|title=Fox TV Stations Acquire Buzzr TV, New Multicast Net from FremantleMedia North America|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/syndication-and-distribution/fox-tv-stations-acquire-buzzr-tv-new-multicast-net-fremantle-north-america/137216|author=Paige Albiniak|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=NewBay Media|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=January 23, 2015}} The network hopes to expand its charter affiliate footprint to reach markets covering 50 million U.S. households with at least one television set.

In September 2016, Yes TV, a small Canadian television system with stations in Ontario and Alberta, began airing a Buzzr-branded block programming of classic game shows called "Buzzr After Hours" overnight Tuesday to Saturday from 1 to 3:30 a.m. (formerly 1-4 a.m.) local time.{{cite web|url=http://www.yestv.com/community-blog/yestv-fall-2016-lineup/|title=yesTV Announces Fall Lineup (press release)|author=Yes TV (Crossroads Christian Communications)|date=June 16, 2016|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005085856/http://www.yestv.com/community-blog/yestv-fall-2016-lineup/|archive-date=October 5, 2016|url-status=dead}}

In May 2017, Dish Network began carrying Buzzr on channel 245.

• Game Show Network
• Nickelodeon Games and Sports
• GameTV
• Challenge (TV channel)

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Buzzr}}

• {{Official website|buzzrtv.com/}}
• [http://www.fremantlemedia.com/buzzr/ Fremantle's description of Buzzr]

{{Bertelsmann}}

{{Broadcast Television}}

Category:2015 establishments in the United States

Category:Television networks in the United States

Category:Classic television networks

Category:Nostalgia television in the United States

Category:Television channels and stations established in 2015

Buzzr

Category:RTL Group

Category:Game shows