MUMBAI: This is a piece of news that could just revive the game show format in India. Star India is all set to play a game of cross and double cross upon its viewers.
It has picked up the format rights to the game show Dirty Rotten Cheater. It is distributed by Distraction Formats.
The show recently premiered in a daily access prime slot on Italy's Canale 5.
Star will commence production later this year in Delhi. The game show is based on deception and double-crossing and works like this. Six players compete through five rounds.
They need to guess the answers to a series of light-hearted questions. These have previously been surveyed by the public who have given their top ten answers.
The most obvious answers are worth the smallest amount of money and the more tricky answers are where the big bucks can be earned.
However, theres a catch. Within the group there is a cheater who already has all the answers. If the cheater wants the cash he/she has to be as devious and persuasive as possible to convince the other contestants that someone else is cheating.
Players accuse each other of deception, the audience suspicion grows as the episode progresses. Each player tries desperately to convince the others he is not the cheater and remain in the game.
Star TV director Rajesh Kamat was quoted in a release put out by Distraction Formats saying, "We are delighted to have signed this deal with Distraction Formats and I am sure it will be the first of many. Dirty Rotten Cheater is a distinctive format and we are sure that it will do very well in India."
The show premiered on Canale 5 on 7 July 2004. It has been pulling consistent market shares of over 20 per cent in its daily prime access time slot.
Last September Distraction Formats had secured worldwide distribution rights from Jonathan Goodson Productions for the above mentioned game show. TWI had picked up the format rights at Mipcom last year for the UK market.
At that time explaining the reason behind the popularity of the show Distraction Formats sales VP Arabelle Pouliot added,: " Dirty Rotten Cheaters makes for fun and compelling TV. The contestants are under pressure, the studio audience is involved and the play-along attraction for home viewers is there due of the survey style questions and the drama created in trying to uncover the cheater."
Distraction Formats has built its business upon the acquisition of high-rating existing formats. Formed in October 1997, Distraction works with format creators across the globe in order to provide broadcasters and independent producers worldwide with successful and original formats in all genres.
