"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire": Why popular game show isn't back on TV as promised

A revamped version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' was scheduled to return on TV in September 2017.

Why isn't the popular game show 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' back on TV as promised?

In June 2017, the then host of the show, Frank Edoho, announced a temporary break after MTN Nigeria withdrew their sponsorship.

The announcement elicited social media reactions from many of the viewers, who weighed in with a mixture of sadness and gratitude for over a decade of entertainment. For 13 years, the entertaining game show was their source of entertainment and knowledge.

 

After a two-month break, Ultima Studios, the producers of the show, announced that the TV game show will return on September 3, 2017, with new sponsors on board.

It was also revealed that Edoho, who had hosted the show since it made its debut in 2004, had quit.

To create ample time to set up a better show and choose a new host, it was also announced that highlights from past editions of the show would be aired for five weeks.

It's almost five months since that exciting announcement and new episodes of the game show are yet to return on TV. The official Twitter page of the show has also been inactive since November 2017.

The question on the lips of most fans of the household TV show must have been: What's really stopping 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' from an epic return to TV?

 

Pulse reached out to Ultima Studios for an answer. And according to the production company, 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' is currently on a temporary break.

The studio has other projects in active development, most notably is the Nigerian adaptation of the popular US game show, Family Feud.

"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has been put on hold temporarily  due to fresh and brand new formats in the works," Ultima Studios told Pulse Nigeria.

"Ultima Studios is ready to launch new and big formats into the Nigerian market this year," they added.

 

About Family Feud

Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson.

On the show, two families compete to name the most popular responses to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.

The program which premiered in the US on July 12, 1976, is currently hosted by American comedian and TV host, Steve Harvey.

 

About Who 'Wants to be a Millionaire'

The first episode of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' aired on October 8, 2004.

On the show,  large cash prizes are offered for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty, with three lifelines presented to the contestants at the beginning of the game - 50/50, Phone a friend and ask the audience.

On September 11, 2009, a contestant named Aroma Ufodike became the first and only person to win the 10 million naira prize.

There's no official date for when 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' will return, but Pulse already has a list of celebrities who can replace Edoho as the host.