Brief:

• Hit game show "Deal or No Deal" is returning to TV with a live mobile gaming app that lets fans play along as the show airs on CNBC. The "Deal or No Deal Live" app offers a chance to win prizes daily and a chance to enter a sweepstakes for bigger rewards, according to a press release.
• Hosted by comedian Howie Mandel, the show challenges a contestant to open 26 sealed briefcases containing hidden amounts of cash ranging from a penny to $1 million. The accompanying app lets mobile users play along during the show, making their own decisions about whether to accept a cash offer from a mysterious "Banker" in exchange for an unknown amount of money in a virtual briefcase.
• The app's social media integration also lets players compete with friends, family and fans across the country. The gaming division of show producer Endemol Shine partnered with game developer iPro to create the play-along app.

Insight:

Endemol's "Deal or No Deal Live" app may help CNBC to more deeply engage viewers of the rebooted game show. The first two airings of the show performed strongly with an average of 830,000 viewers, according to Nielsen data cited by Programming Insider, pointing to the potentially large user base for the accompanying app. Even as more consumers are cutting the cable cord, the show has expanded to alternative channels to appeal to consumers' shifting viewing habits. "Deal or No Deal" is also available on its own YouTube channel, where the first episode received more than 60,000 views.

The show's accompanying mobile app comes as consumers increasingly watch TV while using another device. These "distracted viewers" make up a significant part of today's TV audience, with 89% of smartphone users saying they watch TV while using a phone, according to a Deloitte survey. A majority (82%) of marketers believe TV viewers' second screens and advertising clutter are hampering their TV ad campaigns, according to a survey by ad tech company Viant. Viewers are engaging with their devices as much during TV shows and commercials as they are during the 30-minute window before and after, Viant data show. "The challenge here for advertisers is that TV viewers might be physically present while commercials air, but not fully mentally present," Viant found. To combat this, marketers are now working to develop strategies to engage these second-screeners through mobile apps and play-along content, such as "Deal or No Deal Live."

"Deal or No Deal Live" arrives in a moment of live-trivia games' growing popularity among consumers. Game show-style app HQ Trivia has gained sponsorships from major media brands including movie studios, pointing to how "Deal or No Deal Live" could generate revenue in the future. Meanwhile, broadcasters like Fox and TBS have created their own live-trivia apps. Fox's "FN Genius" launched in August, and late-night TV host Samantha Bee launched the "This Is Not a Game: The Game" in September to urge people to vote in the recent U.S. midterm elections.