NTN Buzztime

NTN Buzztime is a company which produces interactive entertainment across many different platforms. Its most well-known product (simply called Buzztime) is a system which serves trivia and other games over a national network to over 3,000 bars and restaurants in the United States and Canada, as well as to Great Britain. The North American and British networks are kept separate. The National Telecommunicator Network offers several different kinds of trivia games based on a variety of subjects, including world history, geography, sports, art, music, and science.

NTN Buzztime () is based in Carlsbad, California. The company formerly went by the name NTN Communications.

How Buzztime works

Buzztime players use boxes known as "Playmakers" to answer the questions that are displayed on the television screens. Questions are answered by pressing numbered buttons that correspond to multiple-choice answers. The region on the right side of the "Playmaker" is known as the "Playzone" and it features a numbered keypad. However, many players also effectively utilize the row of numbers at the top of the "Playmaker" to respond to questions.

After each game, the top 20 individual winners as well as the top 20 establishments on the entire network (based on an average of the five highest scores at that establishment—top six for Showdown) are broadcast in a "Network Rankings" summary for each game. Many teams gather together in their respective establishments to partake in the battle of wits.

Many frequent Buzztime players are enrolled in the "Players Plus" program. Players earn Players Plus points by participating in a game, and can earn additional points by beating a target score that is given before the start of each game.

Games

The most frequently played Buzztime game is Countdown, which is a game of 15 multiple choice questions, each with five possible answers, on a variety of topics. Players can earn up to 1,000 points per question based on how fast they answer; the number of points decrease as time passes. Clues are given to help the player eliminate incorrect choices, with the third clue usually alluding to what the correct answer is. The answer is given once time runs out. A score of 15,000 is considered a "perfect" score.

Several specialty games use the Countdown format but are based on a single subject. Some of the more commonly played games are Get Reel! and RetroacTiVe, which focus on movies and classic television shows, respectively. Topix is a series of 15 questions based on one topic, which changes with each game, and Abused News is a game based on current events with a focus on offbeat news stories. A variation of Countdown is Wipeout, where no clues are given; instead, incorrect answers are eliminated until there are only two left.

NTN also offers selectable games (either topic specific or games that weren't very popular in the past), such as Law Trivia, Kid's Science, and Battle of the Sexes (a game in which males and females compete against each other). These require the manager code, which a bartender or server may be able to set up.

During the week, several "premium" trivia games are played. Most of them are usually an hour long.

Sports Trivia Challenge on Sundays
Sports IQ on Mondays
Showdown, a 75-minute general knowledge trivia game, on Tuesdays. On the West Coast, after Showdown a 15-minute game called Speed, where 18 rapid-fire questions are asked, is played. This is followed by the 30-minute Mini-Six, a short version of the Thursday game. On the East Coast, Glory Days and Mini-Six come on before the Showdown Game. This combination, combined with the supposed prestige of Showdown, usually results in a high turnout for the Tuesday premium games.
Passport, featuring questions about a specific geographic area, on Wednesdays. Passport is preceded by a game of Topix, Sci-Files (devoted to Science Fiction Trivia), and Brain Busters (a Countdown version game with harder questions)
Six, a Trivial Pursuit-style game where the questions are grouped into six categories, on Thursdays
Spotlight, an entertainment trivia game, on Fridays
Playback, a music trivia game, on Saturdays

QB1 is an interactive game that Buzztime offers to participating locations during NFL and college football games. Players earn points by correctly predicting which plays the offense will make during the game. QB1 is Buzztime's oldest game, having premiered during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984.

In the past, Buzztime trivia offerings were available over online services such as the now-defunct ImagiNation Network. Now, Buzztime trivia can be found on other platforms, such as an electronic home-system version and a mobile phone version.

In 2004, the company launched the Blast channel that is available to establishments that upgrade to the ITV2 system. (New Buzztime installations are ITV2.) This channel features games such as Blackjack, Cutthroat (a form of billiards) and Texas hold 'em poker. It also can be used to broadcast the trivia games during times when QB1 is broadcast.

In January 2006, the company renamed the iTV Network "Buzztime." The company also changed to its current name as part of this new focus on its trivia product. Furthermore, the "Blast" brandname was integrated into Buzztime. It also launched an expanded players' website, which features more-detailed player statistics and a phpBB-based forum.

Buzztime locations

Typically, independently-owned bars and restaurants offer Buzztime. However, it is also offered by major chains such as Buffalo Wild Wings and Damon's Grill.

Other products

NTN Buzztime also produces a variety of wireless paging products, the most common example being a device that vibrates when a food order is ready.

External links

Official sites

Unofficial fan sites

Quiz games | Companies based in California