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London- This week, Channel 4 and ‘Big Brother’ producers Remarkable Television, an Endemol company are launching an exhilarating new live and exclusive game show in which contestants are in with the chance to win one million pounds – if they can hold their nerve. Now, for the first time, viewers can pitch their wits against TV contestants, playing along with the live shows via the broadcast-synchronised ‘The Million Pound Drop’ online game.

By tuning into www.channel4.com/drop TV viewers can experience, first-hand, the excitement and tension of the live shows taking part in the online game designed and developed by interactive agency, Pancentric Digital and social TV company, Monterosa.

Mirroring the main show, players of the online game are given a virtual £1m, then must try to keep as much of their cash as possible, as they tackle the same questions in real-time as the TV contestants. Answers are made by placing a portion of their winnings over whichever trapdoors they believe holds the correct answer – a wrong answer will see the money swallowed through the trapdoor.

“The Million Pound Drop game offers a new level of interactive TV viewing, heightening the enjoyment, tension and drama of the live broadcast” says James Bruce, Creative Director, Pancentric Digital. “Working closely with Channel 4 and Endemol, we looked towards creative solutions that maximise audience participation and involvement. This cross-platform initiative means viewers are as much a part of the experience and can play along in real-time to truly pitch their nerve against the contestants, resulting in a more profound level of engagement with the show.”

Adding further engagement to the experience the game show’s host, Davina McCall, will discuss live on-air how well the players of the online game are doing compared to the TV contestants. To amplify the competition element, players that survive the online game with money still intact have the chance to feature on the ‘survivors list.’

Social Media channels Twitter and Facebook have been used to drive interest and registrations in becoming a contestant on the show. “As our show goes out live, the online game gives it a real event feel as thousands of online players answer every question. We’ve also integrated Twitter and Facebook into the website ensuring that once the live broadcast is underway users can easily share their results and experiences with their friends and networks.” says David Flynn, executive producer of the show and MD of Remarkable Television.

Justin Gorman, Head of Entertainment, Channel 4 added “The interactive element to The Million Pound Drop adds another exciting dimension to this brand new entertainment show.  It’s a mind-blowing concept to consider that potentially 1000s of viewers for the very first time with a game show on tv will be able to play along at the same time as watching this show.  I am sure it will not only add to the viewers experience, but also heighten the tension in the studio as contestants will be aware that the viewers will also be interactively playing along and against them.”

The Million Pound Drop launches Monday the 24th May at 10pm on Channel 4 and airs live every night for six nights.

For further information please contact Lauren Hopwood on 020 7099 6370 or at lauren@pancentric.com