Zynga coins in on Draw Something gameshow
Zynga is extending its popular Draw Something app into a Channel 4 multi platform gameshow as the social gaming company looks to new revenue streams beyond Facebook and mobile purchases.
Draw It! will see two teams, made up of one contestant and one celebrity, take on three rounds of drawing challenges, playing for gold coins and the chance to win cash prizes. In the final round the winning contestant and two celebrities will club together for a beat the clock challenge.
Channel 4 will extend the tea time show into a multi platform game, which is likely to allow viewers to play along while the show airs, like The Million Pound Drop game. Such formats help drive linear viewing figures as well help the broadcaster gather valuable data from registered play-along gamers.
The international format was distributed by Sony Pictures Television and will be produced for Channel 4 by its UK production venture Victory Television.
Zynga acquired Draw Something creator OMGPOP for a reported $180m (£117m) last year just six weeks after the app was released. It was a runaway success for OMGPOP, accumulating more than 35 million downloads in that short space of time.
The games developer also owns other popular social games such as Farmville and Bubble Safari. It derives about 86 per cent of its revenue from Facebook, highlighting the need for it to explore other revenue streams outside the social network.
In November Facebook streamlined its terms with Zynga so that the gaming site was not given undue prominence over other developers.
Rival games developer Rovio has extended its Angry Birds franchise beyond gaming into a number different franchises – such as merchandising, licensing and product placement – helping it double its sales to £129m in 2012.