AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

Multimedia Games Create TV-Show Buzz - The Wall Street Journal

Last month, hundreds of people around the country spent hours of their free time on the Web and out on the streets in search of clues that would help them solve a complex puzzle called “Chain Factor.”

It wasn’t some school assignment or the latest experiment in community building, it was part of an elaborate promotion by CBS Corp. A game by the same name had been featured during a recent episode of the show “Numb3rs,” and the network was using the real-world version of the game to help drive traffic to the show.

CBS and other networks see games such as “Chain Factor” as a new way to market TV shows and experiment with non-TV spinoffs for those shows, which they can then pitch to advertisers. The networks hope to package those sponsorships in various ways. Companies might embed one of the game clues in an ad, or one of the company’s products might be integrated into the contest. CBS, which says it has yet to sign any advertisers, is operating a similar game to drum up interest for the drama “Jericho” before it returns to the air next season.”

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