Syndicator NBC Universal is teaming with Mindmatics LLC to give viewers of the Maury show in Las Vegas and Sinclair station in Columbus, Ohio a chance to win prizes in a real-time contest based on topics posed in the show, even thought the real time will be different in each market.
Billed by the company as a first in syndication, viewers in those markets will be able to text message answers to questions posed in the show, with the winners in each market revealed on-air at the conclusion of each show between Jan. 3 and 20.
The key is that the contests are local, with the Las Vegas market seeing its winners, not those in Columbus, and vice versa. Mindmatics says its technology allows for the interactivity without station in-studio monitoring.NBC U will demonstrate the technology at NATPE, but says that is not why Las Vegas--home to the NATPE convention--was chosen as one of the two Sinclair test markets.
If the test proves successful, look for it to expand to other markets. Maury airs at 10 a.m. in Columbus on WTTE-TV and at 5 p.m. on KVCW-TV Las Vegas.
