Millionaire Changes

Taken from Digital spy:

New prize levels for Millionaire:

"The prize levels on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? are to be changed for the first time in the show's nine-year history

The familiar lineup of fifteen prize levels, ranging from £100 to the top £1 million jackpot, will be replaced by a new system on August 18.

The new "money tree" will comprise just twelve questions, starting with £500 and followed by the first "safe haven", £1,000.

The prize fund then rises to £2,000, £5,000, £10,000, £20,000 and £50,000, the second safe haven. The remaining questions are worth £75,000, £150,000, £250,000, £500,000 and £1 million.

The change coincides with a new audience selection process that aims to encourage "the broadest possible range of potential contestants into the hotseat".

Kees Abrahams, chief exec of producer 2waytraffic, said that the moves would keep the format "fresh" and allow the show "to evolve", adding: "The new configuration of the money tree is about getting to the big money - and therefore the real excitement - faster."

The changes come off the back of reports that ITV was considering axing the long-running gameshow if ratings fail to improve."

Do you think this will make the show more popular?

Sounds like a better system, the current £100 - £1,000 questions are a waste of time.

I'd have made the first safe haven £5,000 though. Increasing the tension in the early stages of the game I think is crucial, but I guess that would actually increase the prize for many.

> The change coincides with a new audience selection process that aims to encourage "the broadest possible range of potential contestants into the hotseat".

Come on down?

Just heard about this on Newsbeat. Sounds interesting and I will be watching to see how it turns out.It could be the death of the show though. Surely new format = different show. I know its desperately in need for a revamp but why not just axe it and bring in something new. Millionnaire is past it ... 9 years is enough.

And no-one will have a way of making easy money. I don't think cutting the number of questions to 12 was the best idea. They should have just changed the values which they did aswell. I'm looking forward to Saturday now. Must get my VCR ready.

here an Idea: It Cheaper and Better Vaule:

Bring back the Gameshows!
Wheel of fortunes,
Catchphrase
Strike it Rich
FF

pff all those games pale compared to crystal maze

The only way they can do anything about the show is raise the top prize to £2m etc. I can't really see these other changes making much difference thus killing the show.

They should've given it a long break then made it an event again, like they did originally, by condensing episodes into a shorter time span. The fact this is getting so much hype shows people still are interested, but that interest will soon fade after the first show and the audience sees through the changes. If they couldve got a cliffhanger and then "tune in in a couple of days to find out how so and so does on the big money question" rather than waiting a week I think they could have converted the momentum into something.

And no doubt this new version will feature yet more phone-ins.

No, auditions.

I don't see how making the top prize £2m would possibly make any remote difference to the show. The big prize is not the problem here, at £1m it's still the "ultimate" gameshow prize, and is won infrequently.

The challenge for the show is to ramp up the tension, and put more at risk in the earlier rounds. The £100 - £1,000 questions were mostly a waste of time.

Changes = realisation people are losing interest = typical ITV desperation to cling on to a flagship brand. Well it's their own fault - they shouldn't have milked Millionaire and made people switch off.