Is NBC's "Million Second Quiz" as addictive as the network hopes it will be? Judge for yourself.
The 24-hour, live game show has just released an app that will allow competitors to answer trivia questions and potentially compete on the show when it premieres Sept. 9. You can download it here.
We've tried the app. It's fun. The graphics are several notches above Words With Friends, much as we love Words With Friends. But earning points is slow going: You need 3,500 to potentially qualify for a spot on the show. After one game, I answered enough questions correctly to earn a mere 150. Also, did you know that Franklin is the most popular name for U.S. cities? Now I do.
"Million Second Quiz" is an attempt by the network to get viewers to watch primetime in real time, and even stay tuned in for commercials. Besides playing along at home, they can answer trivia questions during ads to win discounts on products and other prizes.
The stakes are higher for NBC than they probably are for you: Primetime ratings were down for the four biggest networks in the key demographic last season, and NBC hopes "Million Second Quiz" will be the kind of big-event television that people feel they have to watch live.
Here's how the game works:
