November 26, 2007
MERV GRIFFIN’S CROSSWORDS
LICENSES ONLINE GAME TO OBERON
New Casual Game to be Available
for Download in Early 2008
Program Partners and Merv Griffin
Entertainment (MGE) announced today a strategic partnership with Oberon Media,
the world’s leading multi-platform casual games company, to deliver casual games
based on Merv Griffin’s Crosswords(tm). Under the terms brokered by the William
Morris Agency, MGE—the creators of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune—have licensed
the nationally-syndicated game show to Oberon Media, which will create online
games that will be available for download in early 2008.
Hosted by daytime television star Ty
Treadway, Merv Griffin’s Crosswords(tm) is a fast-paced, new generation "Q & A"
half-hour game show in which players compete against the clock and each other in
a unique way to solve a crossword puzzle. The series is the #1 new game show in
syndication, airing in over 90% of the U.S., including major market NBC-owned
stations.
Oberon Media’s intellectual-property
portfolio comprises more than 1,000 titles, delivered by its 250 online
distribution partners, such as Microsoft, Comcast, BskyB, Sprint, AT&T, Yahoo
Games, Verizon, Electronic Arts, AOL Games and NHN. The company recently
co-developed and launched the official Merv Griffin’s Crosswords(tm) website,
www.crosswords.tv
A perfect demographic fit exists
between the daytime TV game show audiences and the casual games audience, with
60-70 percent of casual online game customers being women over the age of 30.
"Merv loved new technologies," said
Ron Ward, Vice Chairman of MGE and The Griffin Group of Companies. "He had great
appreciation for the financial potential in expanding Crosswords online and was
eager to participate in creating the downloadable product."
"We are pleased at the opportunity
to come onboard with this exciting new franchise," said Don Ryan, Oberon Media’s
SVP of Publishing. "Merv Griffin was the master of the game show genre, creating
such benchmarks as Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Crosswords(tm) is sure to
follow in their footsteps and have fans for years to come."
"An extremely addictive game on
television, Crosswords is an ideal vehicle for online play," said Josh
Raphaelson of Program Partners. "Oberon was our partner of choice to bring the
game to life online."
