In the newest version of Bravo's Top Chef, a young player finds herself standing before a sink filled with filthy dishes facing a challenge that could send her packing before she ever sets foot in front of a stove.
Will she have the savvy and grit to survive this grimy test?
Fans of the red-hot reality show starring Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi won't be able to learn the fate of the wannabe chef by tuning to Bravo on their TV sets. Instead, they'll find the answer only on their cell phones by downloading Top Chef Challenge, the most recent entry in a rapidly expanding field of mobile games based on hit TV shows such as Hannah Montana, Heroes and Desperate Housewives.
All of the networks and most of the major cable channels are trying to find the kind of big screen/little screen synergy that can result in millions of dollars in new media revenue for games based on old media shows. Top-ranked games, averaging 3.5 million downloads a year at up to $6.99 a download, can earn more than $20 million annually; even a modestly successful mobile game based on a TV show can bring in as much as $5 million a year, according to Nielsen Mobile.
With the networks and studios that own the shows getting a percentage of each download billed to a customer's cell phone, it is one of the most straightforward ways for the Hollywood giants to make fast money in the world of digital media. One more thing: People who create the games are considered developers, not writers. In light of the Hollywood writers' strike, that's not a minor point.
"The whole digital area is a place of humongous growth," says Lisa Hsia, senior vice president of new media at Bravo. "There's a revenue model and business model here with mobile games that makes tremendous sense going forward."
Overall, the mobile-game market in the United States is worth more than $675 million a year - and has grown 24 percent in the past 12 months, according to Nielsen Media Research. Some analysts expect it to double in revenue next year, thanks to shows like Top Chef Challenge that target new demographics.
The international market is also projected to double - topping $10 billion by the end of next year, with 920 million mobile users downloading games, according to a report issued last month by Jupiter Research, a global leader in high-tech communications research.
