PASADENA, Calif. — Snoop Dogg was a surprise guest for NBCU’s Olympics presentation at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour here. Snoop will be a special correspondent for NBC at the Olympics, offering his own unique take on the competitions and athletes. 

Snoop called the Olympics “a time when the whole world can come together and cheer for their athletes,” and “a chance for the world to be on one page.”

Also Read: More Coverage from the TCA Winter Press Tour

Snoop described the Games as a peace offering, and added, “I always represent peace.” 

Snoop, in NBC Olympics sweats, shared the stage with Molly Solomon, executive producer and president, Olympics Production, and swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines. 

Solomon said the Games will be live all day from Paris, which is on a six-hour time difference from the East Coast. Today will be live in Paris from 7 to 9 a.m. 

Prime will see NBC distill the day’s events into a three-hour highlights package. “We will take those three hours and make sure it’s the best performances of the day,” said Solomon. “We are additive in primetime — we’ll tell you the why behind the stories.”

She mentioned Paris itself having a key role in the broadcasts, promising “joy, spectacle and crowds.” The opening ceremonies will see the world’s athletes on boats, floating down the Seine, and the lighting of the cauldron at the Eiffel Tower. 

Also Read: NBCUniversal Says Paris Olympics Ad Sales Are Pacing Ahead of Tokyo 2021

Snoop shared his earliest Olympics memories, mentioning watching sprinter Edwin Moses in the 1984 Games. “My whole family was watching as if we knew this man,” he said. 

Asked if he would research the sports and participants, or come in to the broadcasts cold, Snoop said he always comes in hot. “Don’t worry about the research,” he said. “I know everything about everybody.”

Asked about what to look for in swimming, Gaines said, “Katie Ledecky — you always start with her,” adding that she had her first loss in many years last week. 

Snoop promised NBC would be “shaking it up in many different ways.”

He added, “You only get it every four years, so we’re gonna make the most of it.”

Future Today said it has added Snoop Dogg’s animated Doggyland to its free streaming service HappyKids.

The 3D, which features singing and dancing dogs in a vibrant world, will also continue streaming on YouTube and other platforms.

Snoop Dog provides the voice of Bow Wizzle, the leader of the pact.

"Snoop Dogg and his team’s visionary creation of Doggyland extends beyond traditional animation and mere family entertainment; it emerges as an instrument for cognitive development and cultivating positive habits for children," said David Di Lorenzo, senior VP of kids and family programming for Future Today. "For HappyKids, we want to ensure that parents feel confident and comfortable that the content their preschool children are watching is both stimulating and entertaining.” 

Doggyland was created by Snoop Dogg, October London and Claude Brooks. 

HappyKids features more than 110,000 titles from 150 content partners.

"We are so excited to partner with Future Today to bring Doggyland to HappyKids,” said Snoop Dogg,. “They're doing amazing things, helping to make free quality children's entertainment accessible to kids all around the world. This is exactly what the spirit of Doggyland is all about, bringing smiles and joy to children everywhere.” 

With Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent performing, the half-time show was one of the most-watched parts of this year’s Super Bowl.

Fans couldn’t get enough of the hip-hop legends and many flocked to music video service Vevo, which saw big increases in viewing on Sunday and Monday.

Viewing of Dr. Dre’s catalog increased by six times the day of the Super Bowl halftime compared to an average of the prior 10 Sundays and seven times more views the day after compared to the previous 10 Mondays.

Also: Music Video Service Vevo’s VOD App Launched on Google, Android TV Devices

Snoop Dogg’s videos got four times the viewing on Super Bowl Sunday compared to the previous 10 Sundays and he got a nine times bump on Monday.

Dr. Dre’s Still Dre featuring Snoop Dogg was the most-viewed music video across TV and video in both Vevo’s rap/hip-hop category and for its 90s collection following the halftime show. The next day, viewing was nine times higher than average.

The Super Bowl boost took Still Dre over the 1 billion views mark just before his birthday on Friday.

Also: Vevo Drops Needle on Holiday Channels For Viewers, Sponsors

The other performers also saw significant increases.

Kendrick Lamar was up 181% on Sunday and 159% on Monday. Eminem got a 55% lift on Sunday and 67% on Monday. Mary J. Blige views grew 129% on Sunday and 125% on Monday and 50 Cent got a 80% boost on Sunday followed by a 162% lift on Monday.

Rap and hip-hop content got a 14% lift the day after the show, Vevo said.

Some of the biggest boost came in California home of the champion L.A. Rams and where the game was played, and in Ohio, where the Cincinnati Bengals play.

"Across the Vevo network, we regularly see an uptick in viewership of certain music videos around major pop culture events, such as the halftime show at the Super Bowl. This year's performance particularly tapped into nostalgia from the 90s and 2000s, as well as hip-hop culture," said JP Evangelista, senior VP of content, programming and marketing at Vevo.

"The halftime show also created much social buzz afterwards, especially between Gen Xers and Millennials, with each generation claiming representation and ownership of this moment. All of this drives tune-in to each performer's respective music videos on Vevo, and these viewership lifts are a testament to the cultural relevance and influence of music videos. We're proud to be the home of powerful music video content that people want to relive over and over," Evangelista said. ■

Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson have been named hosts of American Song Contest on NBC. The show begins March 21. From the producers of Eurovision Song Contest and The Voice, American Song Contest will feature live musical performances representing all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and five U.S. territories. One entrant will win. 

“I am honored to host American Song Contest alongside my lil sis Kelly Clarkson, aka Miss Texas,” said Snoop Dogg. 

Rapper Snoop hosted the Puppy Bowl February 13 with Martha Stewart on Animal Planet and Discovery Plus, and was in the halftime show of the Super Bowl. He was a judge on season one of Go-Big Show on TBS.  

“I have been a fan and love the concept of Eurovision and am thrilled to bring the musical phenomenon to America,” said Clarkson. “I’m so excited to work with Snoop and can’t wait to see every state and territory represented by artists singing their own songs.” 

Clarkson hosts an eponymous daytime show and is a coach on The Voice. ■

Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg host the 18th annual Puppy Bowl on Discovery Plus and Animal Planet Sunday, February 13. The fun starts at 2 p.m. ET. Team Ruff faces off against Team Fluff, with one team claiming the Lombarky trophy at the end. 

One team will be coached by Stewart, and the other by Snoop. 

The duo also hosts Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party on VH1, and hosted Snoop and Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween on Peacock.

The Puppy Bowl celebrates adoptable dogs, and will feature Adoptable Pop segments hosted by Dan Schachner, who doubles as game “rufferee.” 

Fully 118 puppies, from 67 shelters, will be featured. 

Elmo of Sesame Street will also turn up, along with his rescue dog Tango. 

Kittens are the halftime attraction as the Kitty Half-Time Show goes down. 

Also on February 13, the Cincinnati Bengals play the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl. 

Bright Spot Content produces Puppy Bowl XVIII. Simon Morris is executive producer and showrunner, and Suzanne Rauscher and Sandy Varo Jarrell executive produce too, as does Erin Wanner for Animal Planet. 

Discovery Plus launched in January 2021, and featured Puppy Bowl XVIII. ■

Special 2021 and Done With Snoop Dogg & Kevin Hart is on Peacock, with the hosts signing off on the current year. Peacock calls it “an edgy, insightful and hilarious retrospective of a year that began with so much promise, but mostly turned into a sequel of the sh*t show that was 2020.”

Snoop and Hart take their seats at the desk from which they hosted Olympic Highlights With Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg on Peacock over the summer. The pair breaks down the highlights, and lowlights, of the year, including politics, pop culture, social media and sports.

Guests include Mark Cuban, DJ D-Nice, DL Hughley, Loni Love, Killer Mike, William Shatner, Stephen A. Smith and Michael Strahan.

“Snoop and Kevin cover some of the biggest stories of the year, but also highlight some less covered moments with their irreverent humor, inimitable charm and unique points of view,” said Peacock.

LOL Studios and Snoopadelic Film produced the 75-minute special. David Nickoll and Matthew Claybrooks are the showrunners and executive producers. Joining them as exec producers are Hart, Dogg, Jeff Clanagan, Candice Wilson Cherry and Sara Ramaker. ■

The National Football League announced that a group of hip hop legends will perform at halftime of the Super Bowl on Feb. 13.

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will appear together for the first time at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The halftime show is sponsored by Pepsi and will appear on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.

“The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career,” Dr. Dre said. “I’m grateful to Jay-Z, Roc Nation, the NFL, and Pepsi as well as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar for joining me in what will be an unforgettable cultural moment.”

“Artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were at the forefront of the West Coast hip hop revolution, so to be able to bring them back to LA, where it all began alongside Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will prove to be an epic, unforgettable celebration of the impact hip hop has today,” said Todd Kaplan, pepsi Marketing VP.

“The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show has become a landmark cultural moment, bringing about some of the most iconic performances over the years — from J-Lo and Shakira to Lady Gaga to The Weeknd — and we are thrilled to bring together such an incredible array of talented, record-breaking musicians to put on a performance for the ages,” Kaplan said.

The halftime show was put together for the third straight year by Roc Nation, founded by Jay-Z.

Baking special Snoop and Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween premieres Oct. 21 on Peacock. With Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart hosting, Very Tasty Halloween showcases bakers facing off in a Halloween showdown. 

Teams of three bakers, called Scare Squads, bake and build an “immersive, edible spectacle,” according to Peacock, a Halloween world that is inspired by the concept of fear. Alvin Zhou is a judge alongside Snoop and Stewart. 

The competition ends in a big Halloween party. 

The show comes from BuzzFeed Studios, Magical Elves and digital food network Tasty. It is the first project between Peacock and BuzzFeed, which have many in development pertaining to celebs, pop culture, games and pets. 

Snoop and Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween is produced by BuzzFeed Studios, Magical Elves and Snoopadelic Films. Casey Kriley, Jo Sharon, Hillary Olsen, Patrick J. Doody and Gaylen Gawlowski executive produce for Magical Elves. Richard Alan Reid and Charlotte Simms do so for BuzzFeed. Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart executive produce as well. 

Snoop and Stewart host Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party on VH1.

NBCUniversal will be using the Olympics to get people to sample its streaming service Peacock, which will feature both live events and original programming during the games.

Peacock will launch its Olympics destination on July 15 and it will have live coverage of gymnastics and track & field. It will also have U.S. men’s basketball, but live coverage of the team will be available only on Peacock Premium.

Original programming on Peacock will include daily live shows, Olympic channels, even replays and highlights from NBC Olympic coverage. 

Rich Eisen will host Tokyo Gold, a daily look at the compelling performances with analysis and athlete interviews.

Lindsay Czarniak, Lolo Jones and MJ Acosta-Ruiz will host On Her Turf at the Olympics, dedicated to covering women’s sports at the games. Katie Ledecky, Allyson Felix, Alex Morgan, April Ross, and Alix Klineman will be among athletes featured. 

Cari Champion and Kenny Mayne will host Tokyo Tonight, which will bring fans into the Games with highlights, as interviews and feature stories every evening. Jac Collinsworth will serve as contributor to Tokyo Tonight on-location in Tokyo. 

Those shows will appear on the Tokyo Now channel. Other Olympic channels on Peacock include Great Moments, Meet the Olympians, Must-See Moments, Team USA and Tokyo Flame, an Olympic version of the yule log.

Other featured programming will be:

Olympic HIghlights with Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg: This commentary series, co-hosted by sports and Olympics enthusiasts Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg, will recap the Olympics’ most impressive displays of athleticism, as well as the moments that don’t go as planned. The series is produced by LOL Studios. Paul Pawlowski will serve as showrunner and executive producer, along with executive producers Kevin Hart, Jeff Clanagan, and Candice Wilson Cherry.

For Ball And Country: With the USA Men’s Basketball Team’s fourth consecutive gold medal on the line at the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games, there is much at stake. For Ball and Country will follow the star-studded team as they represent their country. In addition to an all-access look at the 2021 team’s training camp in Las Vegas, the series goes into USA Basketball video vault with never-before-seen footage of this storied program. For Ball and Country is produced by Winik Media in association with USA Basketball and NBA Entertainment.

Golden: This series follows elite American gymnasts Laurie Hernandez, Morgan Hurd, Sunisa Lee, Konnor McClain, and MyKayla Skinner on their individual and intertwining journeys as Team USA hopefuls leading up to the Tokyo Olympics. The series is produced by UNINTERRUPTED, a division of The SpringHill Company.

The Sisters of ‘96: The 1996 USA Women’s Olympic Soccer Team:  When the U.S. Women’s National Team made it to the Olympic soccer in Atlanta, their gold medal match was not fully televised. Now, Peacock is making it available in full for the first time and debuting an hour-long special that reunites stars Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, Briana Scurry, and Tisha Venturini. 

Peacock also said  Amber Ruffin, host, writer and executive producer of Peacock’s late-night series The Amber Ruffin Show, will be on the ground in Tokyo providing her own unique, comedic analyses of the competition, as well as a look-back at her own experiences in the world of sports. 

 Multi-media company Triller is throwing its hat back into the pay-per-view event  ring Saturday, working with PPV event purveyor In Demand to distribute via traditional linear TV a boxing and music event headlined by YouTube personality Jake Paul’s boxing match against former mixed martial arts fighter Ben Askren. The event, which retails at a suggested price of $49.95, also features musical performances from such artists as Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Snoop Dog and Ice Cube. 

The event follows Triller’s successful Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. PPV fight/entertainment event this past November, which drew a reported 1.6 million PPV buys. Triller also recently announced a June 5 PPV fight card which will feature the return of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield to the ring against Kevin McBride, as well as a lightweight title fight between champion Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr. 

I recently spoke to In Demand senior VP, programming and marketing Mark Boccardi about Triller’s influence within the PPV event category and how the company’s new boxing/entertainment strategy will affect traditional PPV boxing events going forward. Here’s an edited excerpt from our conversation. 

Picture This: What is your take on Triller’s approach to pay-per-view boxing events? 

Mark Boccardi: Boxing promoters have been forced to look at events differently, and that's a good thing. There is a tried and true way of doing things that still works, but I think when you look at the mix of sports and entertainment that Triller is doing, they are featuring legitimate pro boxers along with retired athletes and social media stars, as well as major music acts including Snoop Dog. That’s not to say that the traditional boxing way doesn't work, but when you have some opportunistic entrepreneurs who mix boxing and entertainment, it’s a combination that really does work. So when we look at this weekend, it’s a great way for us to leverage our decades of pay-per-view expertise and experience with what Triller brings to the table and grow an even broader fan base for the sport.

PT: You mention broadening the fan base -- are the viewers purchasing Triller events a new generation of PPV boxing consumers?

MB: Absolutely. We saw that with the Tyson event back in November. What we had was a huge pay-per-view number -- it was the eighth best pay-per-view event of all time. It was a remarkable number that wasn’t just made up of your traditional boxing fan base, nor was it  just a young, new fan base who wanted to watch the Jake Paul fight; it was a combination of the two. It was a perfect storm of attractiveness that turned it into a mega event. So with respect to this weekend and what Triller is doing, they are absolutely tapping into a new fan base, but I wouldn't say that they're not picking up the older fan base. I definitely think that there's widespread appeal for it,   but bringing in the new audience is really such a key point here. 

PT: Can this event generate a million PPV buys without the added appeal of a Mike Tyson or another marquee boxer? 

MB: We’ll see --  there are a number of boxing matches, and they have some big name musical acts from Justin Bieber to Snoop Dog to Doja Cat. I think that helps draw in a different fan base that would otherwise not be interested in a boxing event. We have everything aligning on our end in terms of distributor marketing support, Triller marketing support and social media support. The whole marketing machine is cranking. 

PT: Do events like this diminish the value and appeal of traditional PPV boxing events that don’t feature musical entertainment or social media celebrities?

MB: No, not at all. I really do believe that both scenarios can work. We’ve been busy over the last few months planning multiple pay-per-view events this year with several major fighters including Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Errol Spence and Gervonta Davis. These are the names that represent the future of boxing. I think we’re going to have a really busy summer and fall for boxing, and we really feel good about the future of PPV boxing. There’s a lot of pent up demand because there hasn’t been a lot of those big events lately. 

Snoop Dogg will be “mega mentor” on this season of The Voice on NBC. He joins coaches  Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Blake Shelton to mentor the artists who have made it through the Battle Rounds, as each team prepares for the Knockouts. He will first appear on the show Monday, April 19. 

During the Knockouts, artists are once again paired against a teammate, but select their own song to perform individually while their competitor watches. “Drawing from his unique experience in navigating the music and entertainment industry as a renowned rapper, producer and performer, Snoop Dogg will impart a new and fresh perspective to help the artists craft their performances,” said NBC. 

Snoop has released 19 studio albums and received 20 Grammy nominations. He is a host and executive producer on VH1 show Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner and was host and exec producer on Joker’s Wild on TNT. He's a judge on TBS's Go-Big Show. 

The Voice is a presentation of MGM Television, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, and ITV Studios The Voice USA, Inc. The series was created by John de Mol, who is an executive producer along with Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Amanda Zucker, Kyra Thompson and Adam H. Sher.

Competition series Go-Big Show starts on TBS Jan. 7. TBS calls it an “extreme talent show” with contestants wrestling rattlesnakes, training alligators, doing tricks on horses, taking off on ramps and partaking in other dangerous stunts. 

Comedian Bert Kreischer hosts and the judges are Snoop Dogg, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Nettles and Cody Rhodes. Kreischer had the comedy specials Bert Kreischer: Comfortably Dumb on Comedy Central and Bert Kreischer: The Machine on Showtime. His Netflix specials include Bert Kreischer: Secret Time, Bert Kreischer: Hey Big Boy and Bert Kreischer: The Machine on Netflix. 

There are 10 episodes. 

The Go-Big Show winner gets $100,000.

TBS is part of WarnerMedia. 

Apple TV Plus will look to ring in the holidays this Friday (Dec. 4)  with a new special featuring legendary recording artist Mariah Carey.

The special, Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special, will features Carey as she embarks to help Santa solve a world face with a holiday cheer crisis, according to the streaming service. 

The special will feature musical and dance performances along with animation, said Apple TV Plus. The special will also feature appearances from from Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris, along with a special appearance by Carey’s nine-year-old twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe.

AT&T’s TBS said it ordered a full season of Go-Big Show, an extreme talent competition series.

The show will feature celebrity judges Snoop Dogg, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Nettles and AEW wrestler “The American Nightmare” Cody. Comedian Bert Kreischer will host. It is expected to debut in 2021.

The pick up was announced simultaneously on Wednesday night following The Big Bang Theory on TBS, AEW Dynamite on TNT and Impractical Jokers on truTV.

The show’s 10 episodes are being produced using COVID-19 safe protocols, with a drive-in audience cheering outside the Macon Coliseum, whose 7,000 seats will be empty.

In Go-Big Show, high-risk acts, such as monster trucks, alligator trainers, stunt archery try to impress the judges and advance in the competition whose ultimate prize is $100,000.

“We are going bigger and bolder with our unscripted line-up at TBS to provide more of the content that viewers love from our platform,” said Brett Weitz, general manager, TNT, TBS and truTV. “Go-Big Show not only delivers on this promise with a thrilling new take on talent competition, but it’s also another example of our innovative spirit as we continue to create brand-defining, must-watch television.”

Go-Big Show is produced by Propagate and Matador Content, a Boatrocker Company. The series is executive produced by Todd Lubin and Jay Peterson of Matador Content; Howard T. Owens, Ben Silverman, and Greg Lipstone of Propagate Content; showrunner Conrad Green; Bert Kreischer, Snoop Dogg and Ted Chung for Snoopadelic Films.

Some entertainment-themed cable networks are betting on game shows to drive new audiences with escapist fun and comedic programming.

Game shows like BET’s Face Value, TBS’s Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild and truTV’s Talk Show the Game Show offer a fun, less-expensive alternative to dark scripted dramas and often outlandish reality series that dominate cable network lineups, network executives said. Such shows also serve as comfort food for viewers weary of the constant drumbeat of the 24-hour news cycle.

The Game Show Issue:Syndication’s Games Are Few but Mighty | Game On for FremantleMedia’s Mullin

“I think that everyone right now is growing fatigued by current events and politics and are looking for an escape,” truTV senior vice president of development and original programming Lesley Goldman said. “Game shows in particular create an alternative universe — you’re really entering a world where there are really clear rules that you can play along with and temporarily get away from the real world.”

And Discovery Channel is reviving Cash Cab, the taxicab-based quiz show it aired from 2004 to 2012, with original host Ben Bailey once again picking up would-be contestants on the streets of New York. New episodes will begin airing Dec. 4.

Cable’s game-show fascination comes after a major push by the broadcast networks into the genre this past summer with new shows like CBS’s Candy Crush and Fox’s Beat Shazam, along with revivals of such classic shows from the 1970s and 1980s as ABC’s The Gong Show and Fox’s Love Connection.

A New Generation of Fans
While game shows have been a staple of television since the early days of the medium, the genre has found new life by appealing to a new generation of viewers looking for escapist programming that’s heavy on humor and celebrity stars.

“In the world that we live in, it’s just a fun way to decompress and escape and have some fun doing it,” Connie Orlando, executive vice president and head of programming for BET Networks, said. “In this climate, we’re striving to bring people from all backgrounds together to celebrate the things that unite us and not divide us, and I think game shows are a perfect reflection of that.”

Related: BET Sets ‘Black Card Revoked’ Game Show

TBS senior vice president of unscripted series and special event programming Michael Bloom said the network recently looked to the game show genre to complement its lineup of comedy programming and came up with a revival of the 1970s staple The Joker’s Wild, hosted by hip hop superstar Snoop Dogg. He said the series — which retains the format of the 1972-86 original, adding some hip hop flourishes and Snoop-themed questions and categories — gives its audience an opportunity to laugh and be entertained through a different programming lens.

“Fun and funny were the first two filters we applied to every decision we made for the series,” Bloom said. “We approached it by asking how we could take the original, easy, exciting show and add as many comedy layers as we could to it, and we were able to do that.”

So far the show is winning with viewers: Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild drew nearly 1.2 million viewers for its Oct. 24 premiere — on par with the network’s average primetime rating for that week.

Other cable networks are looking to put their own stamp on the game show with new genre concepts. TruTV’s sophomore series Talk Show Game Show is a mashup of the two television formats that pits comedians and celebrities against each other. Hosted by comedian Guy Branum (Chelsea Lately), it places celebrities in various talk show-inspired challenges judged by a panel of comedians who award points while roasting the celebrity’s performances, according to the network.

“The key for us was finding a show with an original hook and a unique point of view that at the center featured a great personality behind it,” Goldman said. “It’s highly relatable and so fun for audiences to play along.”

Talk Show the Game Show, produced by comedian Wanda Sykes’s Push It Productions, will return for its second season in early 2018, according to Goldman. “It combines two genres that our audience loves, and creates a competitive environment where we get to see comedians and celebrities really let their hair down and have a ball,” she said. “It just attracts an audience that’s looking for some fun and satisfying arc and ending that they can walk away from. There are no winners and no losers — it’s a very concrete experience for our viewer.”

‘Face’ Up to’ Prejudice
BET’s Face Value challenges people’s own prejudices and biases by allowing celebrity contestants to make snap judgments about people they see based on their looks and mannerisms.

“Face Value is fun and engages people in lively debate, and over the course of the game the players and viewers realize that when they stop judging and start listening to others they find out each person is uniquely individual,” said BET’s Orlando. “It’s a unique mix of both the comedy and game show formats, and that mix makes for good television and appeals to audiences of all ages and all walks of life.”

The show is hosted by Black-ish’s Deon Cole and produced by Sykes, providing the series with name recognition that helps build viewer awareness. “It’s good to put a face that people can relate to and know to introduce these shows,” she said.

TBS also turned to a celebrity in Emmy-nominated hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg to host its remake of The Joker’s Wild. Bloom attributes the presence of Snoop Dogg to drawing in new viewers to the network — 30% of the show’s audience had never watched TBS, he said.

“Snoop is a prolific social media superstar, and he has stepped up and absolutely done a great job of promoting the show,” he said. “It’s unique to see a superstar like Snoop doing something like this. We’re glad he’s brought all of these new eyeballs to TBS.”

Executives said game show programming competes well in a very crowded television marketplace and will continue to find time slots on cable network programing lineups. TruTV’s next game show, slated for next year, will be a trivia-themed program that will help ordinary people pay off their student debt, according to Goldman. “Whether its celebrities or ordinary people, game shows are fun no matter who’s playing it,” she added.

BET has already green-lit a second game show, Black Card Revoked, based on the card game of the same name that tests players’ knowledge of the African-American experience from pop culture and entertainment to historical facts and politics. Comedian Tony Rock will host the series, which will debut in January, according to Orlando.

“We have found that our audience likes to laugh and decompress, and game shows are a great way to do that,” she said. “Our filters are always to be relevant, fun and radically bold, and game show programming checks off a lot of those boxes.”