BBC Worldwide Tries Out Pay-To-Play With Weakest Link

BBC Worldwide is making its first foray into the pay-to-play space with an online game based on its show The Weakest Link, which charges players but also rewards them with a jackpot if they win. BBC Worldwide already offers a free online game based on The Weakest Link, but this pay-to-play edition charges an entry fee starting at £1 ($1.48) to play. As in the TV program, a group of players answer rounds trivia questions, then vote to eject poor performing participants until only two remain to answer five Final Round questions. The pay-to-play game features a jackpot that players can win if they're declared the winner at the end of the Final Round. The jackpot amount is deterined by the number of players and their skill level, increasing during the game for every question answered correctly but decreasing when incorrect answers are given. The British Broadcasting Corporation subsidiary partnered with Amuso.com, an online gaming/bingo/casino site, for the pay-to-play version of The Weakest Link. Amuso.com enlisted the help of the show's co-founder and comedy writer Fintan Coyle as a strategic advisor for the project. BBC Worldwide says it has online protection systems (e.g. entering birth date on registration) in place to prevent children aged under 18 from signing up and gambling. It also asks gamers to verify their identity with a scanned copy of their driver's license or passport if they make a deposit higher than £50 ($73.93). The company intends to promote the online game with an advertisement at the end of its TV broadcast for The Weakest Link. "BBC Worldwide is always keen to extend a brand beyond the traditional use, and social gaming is one of great interest to us," said BBC Worldwide's Digital Entertainment executive vice president Robert Nashak, according to a report from The Guardian.