Answerback technology for Millionaire

UK - Ground-breaking technology devised by audience interaction specialist AnswerBack Interactive has enabled Celador International's Who Want To Be A Millionaire? Live to hit the road this summer. Growing Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's 'fastest finger first' from 10 players in a television studio to thousands in live venues across Britain is a challenge AnswerBack MD Paul Krisman has been delighted to meet. He explains: "This is an absolute first and there are a number of vital factors we have to ensure just can't go wrong - from the players' point of view 'fastest finger first' is absolutely essential. We've managed to build technology that can identify the fastest response to within a thousandth of a second. There can be no room for doubt or error. It was quite a technical challenge."

Discussing the scales of the challenge he continues: "In our largest shows we anticipate processing more than 10,000,000 messages during the course of the show, with a peak greater than 7,000 per second - this is more than 10 times that achieved by the London Stock Exchange."

Secondly, the handsets have to be able to be installed and uninstalled quickly and efficiently, even in the largest venues. The Millionaire handsets are supplied in sets of four in easily identifiable colours, which connect to small, hidden hubs which link together to form the unique AnswerBack network.

When 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Live' starts its British tour in Eastbourne on June 13, 1,500 people will be able to play simultaneously. On the morning of the show an 8-man crew from AnswerBack Interactive will AnswerBack-enable the theatre using more than 3.5km of cable. There will be a red, yellow, green or blue handset on every seat ready for the world's largest ever game of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Live.

(Lee Baldock)

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