$2.5 Million Win on 'Jeopardy!' DVD

29 Aug, 2005 By: Brendan Howard

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nov. 8 (prebook Oct. 6) will release Jeopardy!: An Inside Look at America's Favorite Quiz Show (DVD $19.94), with episodes from the cerebral game show whose trademark is guessing the question from the answer.

The disc has contestant Ken Jennings' first appearance on the show and his last appearance after winning more than $2.5 million and setting a new record for total game-show winnings. Also included is the premiere episode of the 1984 version of the show with host Alex Trebek and all three episodes from the “2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions.”

It's the first TV game-show release on DVD for Sony Pictures.“We launched ‘Seinfeld' last year and leaned back and said, ‘What about this other gigantic brand?,” said Marc Rashba, VP of catalog marketing. “But we're not selling it as an interactive game disc. It's more about the story and the production … it's really about ‘Jeopardy!' and the entire vision.”

That vision is revealed in three behind-the-scenes featurettes, and some of the history goes back to 1964, the first version of the show. Also included is online bonus content and the chance to see the show through five camera angles.

The fact that the show's still such a hit makes advertising easier.

“We're doing marketing the smart way,” Rashba said. “We're going to advertise it during the show, and we've got Alex to do some publicity for it. Most important for us, we want it in retail circulars. We clearly understand it's an impulse purchase.”

The fact that Sony owns another huge game show, “Wheel of Fortune,” and could come up with a DVD release for that one, too, is not lost on Rashba.

“Sony's in a unique position. It owns two of the biggest brands in the game-show market,” Rashba said. “It's something we're looking at.”