Challenge - June 2016 onwards

The US format I'm amazed hasn't been done properly here is Press Your Luck. I think a regional ITV company tried it in the early 90s but at such a reduced budget it was virtually meaningless.

Given a massive cashpot and put on primetime ITV it would be utterly huge.

Of course that's the show with the infamous contestant that played the system without technically breaking the rules and won a massive amount of money. Which embarrased them so much they didn't allow the episode to be shown again for 20 years.

HTV had a go apparently in the early 1990s for a very high winning pot of.. £200. Woo.

Game Show Network apparently revived Press Your Luck but it didn't run for very long compared to the original run and all the international variations are long out of production. Most of them used lower monetary values or points instead which defeated the point, tension and excitement of the of the original format.

Of course some may argue this was to prevent a repeat of the Michael Larson incident on the original show, though when your top jackpot is £200 you ain't gonna get rich quick

I don't think PYL would have worked in the UK, even with the money the US version offered. It was a very good format but it relies on the excitability of contestants, and the British still don't do that sort of thing, and when they do it comes across as very fake.

Or you have a tirade of Twitter users calling you a knobhead.

It seems that TNA is no more on Challenge from January next year.
https://www.facebook.com/ChallengeTV/posts/1134435839945387

Sad, but it's important to note that TNA wasn't part of Challenge's remit, and it was only brought on the channel because Sky couldn't have it on their Sky branded channels. Digging through this, the ratings once grew, higher than what it had when it was on Bravo, then dipped considerably.

Hopefully other channels can pick it up, at least on Freeview.

Dosen't bode well for Challenge as the advertising funding channel as TNA made money for a free to air game show channel.

Since Countdown reruns flopped at 7pm weeknights, the evening schedules have been same few shows which is in the same rut. They don't seem to commission game shows like Blockbusters and Timeline. The Facebook team don't regularly respond to the replys since the staffing changes which is a shame.

I think Sky need to do something about Challenge, either go back to being pay channel or shut down.

The Sky era of Challenge brought in shows that haven't seen for the long time like Bob's Full House and Whittle but it is getting stale.

That not true, how much does it cost to bring in? Its only been this past week the ratings has seen it in the no1 spot, go back 3-4 weeks and its not even in the top 10...

Doubt Challenge would ever go back to becoming a pay channel, or shutting down. The ratings speak for themselves - it's decent for what it is. Sky are already struggling with Real Lives in regards to ratings by virtue of being a pay service.

If they were really wanting to shut down a channel, Sky2 would be the ideal candidate for the Sky firing squad.

Unless Sky are moving TNA over to Sky Sports Mix to prop that up.

I think this is a bit drastic just because TNA won't be on there anymore!!! Challenge brings a much-needed variety to Freeview - you don't want another Drama channel or Shopping channel to take it's place do you?? In fact, I have never watched TNA anyway so I don't know what all the fuss is about!!

If anything, it'll give them space to air some different TV gameshows or formats which is what the crux of what the channel is in the 1st place!!

Bring back Treasure Hunt!!!