Competition Questions - Too Easy??

[puternut]

Seeing an earlier post concerning these programmes where there is a phone-in competition to win x thousands of pounds made me think of a question myself

I was wondering if we could find out how many people actually call in with the answer (right or wrong) and so earn the TV company and BT or whoever £1.03 a time??

Does this exceed the prize money??

Who sets these banal, childish questions?

Wasn't there something said a while ago and the programmes all agreed to make them a little harder <i>(than 'How many in a dozen? 3, 12 or 990000)</i>

[GetOverIt]

It does annoy me when the programme says we're GIVING AWAY £xx...

If they're giving it away, why does it cost to phone up? It must earn the TV companies significant profits to bother with the competitions.

Since BT and the TV company split the entrance fee 50/50, to "give away" say £5000, the TV company would need at least £10000 of phone calls to even break even. The fact that they continue with these phone-ins day after day, week after week suggests that it is worth their while .

Perhaps a " freedom of information " request could clear up exactly how much profits they make from such competitions.

[Buenchico]

Sorry, GetOverIt, the Freedom of Information Act only applies to public bodies, not to commercial organisations.

[GetOverIt]

Shame....it was a good question by puternut, which I've thought of too in the past.

[trt]

I think they should be banned!

[Zeuhl]

Of course, these are lotteries/prize draws that avoid all the rules and regs by masquerading as a 'game of skill'

Perhaps the law could prohibit the raising of prize money by over-charging for the means to enter.

[VHG]

Zeuhl is right, by law these prize draws HAVE to be a game of skill (no matter how little skill is needed).

And of course if the quiz is very easy more people will phone in, and the TV company earns more money.

I saw one a few years ago asking what band Ronan Keating had been in:

a) Boyzone
b) Boybone
c) Boymone

[Kathyan]

I'd like to know how many people get the answers wrong.

[silliemillie]

Maybe they can get away with it as many of them have free online entry.
I wont waste my money phoning but I will enter on line. Never won anything tho!

[puternut]

I thought of entering online too.

But I have yet to hear of anyone winning by entering that way.

Having said that not heard of ANYONE winning

[sir.prize]

puternut - there are lots of ITV winners announced on the Loquax site; including competitors who entered online for free.

[Duncer]

It really isn't rocket science - the easier the question the more saps that phone in. I used to watch a quiz called "Today's the Day", about news on that date in history. It wasn't a big hitter, much as I liked it, but they had an average of 117,000 callers for their end of show question. I dread to think what big shows make.

[weecalf]

I got a letter the other day to say I had won 10 thousand I think it was .I had to fill in form and put stickers on an entry form ..so if I won it then its mine so why dont they just send me the money After all I DID win it ......aye sure I winned it .