Online game show created by Weyburn brothers takes off

Taking the game show genre where it’s never gone before. That’s what Weyburn, Saskatchewan brothers Richy and Preston Roy say they want to do with their Facebook online game show “Big Time Live.”

The brothers used to host live game shows across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It all changed when people were told to stay inside, and most businesses closed. That’s when they came up with the idea to host an interactive game show on Facebook.

650 CKOM/980 CJME first told you about the game show’s beginning a couple of weeks ago.

Since then, host Richy Roy says its audience has multiplied again and again.

“On the first episode we had about 250 people play. Then the next one it doubled to over 500. The next one was over 750, and the last one we had over 1,100 active players.”

According to their analytics, their reach was about 13,000 and players were noted in parts of the U.S. and even Australia.

At the start, the brothers were paying for and giving away Amazon gift cards. Soon, several companies took notice and began donating prizes.

Roy says the show is free to play; there’s no sign up – participants simply tune in to the live video feed on Facebook.

There are 30 trivia questions and people type in their answers in the comment section. Special software calculates the correct answers and the top three winners get larger prizes, while there are also 15 runners-up.

It’s all produced in a garage at Preston’s home where a makeshift “studio” has been created.

“We can be social distanced from people, and broadcast to the world,” says Roy.

The game show takes place each Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.

Several “special edition” shows will also take place. The next takes place Saturday, April 11 at 1 p.m. and will be especially for children ages 6-12. Top prize is an $800 motorized Segway.

Right now, the plans are to keep the show going for the next couple of months, however, Richy admits some game show veterans are taking notice of what they’re doing.

“Game show hosts across North America have already started to take notice, and they’re kind of looking to us at Big Time game shows to see what we’re doing. So, it feels pretty cool to be an innovator in the future of game shows.”