Frequently Asked Questions

I lost my signal, what do I do?

We are available over the air (via digital antenna) on local TV stations throughout the country. If you’ve lost our channel or signal here are a few things to try:

o  Rescan your antenna and make sure your antenna is in an unobstructed spot for optimal signal reception. This can be done from your TV’s settings menu.

o  Contact your local station. Signal loss happens for many reasons… weather, technical issues etc. We don’t have control over factors affecting your local signal and contacting your station directly may be the fastest way to get information.

o   If none of the above work write us an email at AskBUZZR@buzzrplay.com - and we will see what we can find out on your behalf. Please specify how you are watching, what city you are in, and when you lost your signal.

My local station or cable provider doesn't offer BUZZR, what should I do?

Please let your local stations know you want classic game shows! You can inform your cable provider as well. In the meantime, you can find all of the places where BUZZR is available on BUZZRtv.com, plus we stream the channel on our website for free at buzzrtv.com/watch

There’s an issue with my streaming service, how can I fix it?

We are available on a number of streaming services (OTT platforms). If you are having issues with BUZZR on the service you use, we suggest reaching out directly to their customer service group. They’ll be best able to troubleshoot and respond. They will also alert us if something needs to be addressed on our end.

Why did you edit or remove a portion of a show?

Most of the programming we air was made forty years ago or more, and broadcast standards have changed over time. In order to air the shows we all love, we need to work within the parameters set by current-day advertisers. This occasionally requires us to modify the timing of a show to accommodate today’s volume of commercials. We truly endeavor to keep the shows as close to original as we can, but in order to make shows available, we have to work with the needs of our advertisers. Otherwise we would be unable to broadcast. 

Why did you change the schedule?

We are always listening to viewer feedback and strive to make the channel the best it can be. We share updates on our social platforms, on the air, and we release the schedule on a weekly basis on our BUZZRTV.com/schedule page, all in hopes of helping you anticipate when your favorite shows will be on.

If we added something to the schedule or have taken something off and you’re unhappy – we’re sorry! We work day in and day out to keep the majority of BUZZR viewers happy! 

When will my favorite game show be on air?

We update our schedule weekly and you can find it here: BUZZRtv.com/schedule

Why do you broadcast some game shows and not others?

We love game shows, we know you do too. There are many shows we wish we could bring to you. The reason we do not air shows like The Price Is Right, Wheel of Fortune, Hollywood Squares, The Dating Game, etc. isn’t because we don’t want to, it is because we do not have the rights to do so. All of the shows currently on BUZZR air because we’ve come to a legal agreement with the rights owner. Our parent company, Fremantle, gives us the rights to air some of the shows they own, like Match Game, Press Your Luck, Card Sharks and others. Whereas with other programs, we have licensed the rights from the original owner and they grant us permission to broadcast. We are always listening to your requests, and this helps guide which shows we seek to license.

The Price is Right is owned by Fremantle, so why isn’t it on air? True! Fremantle does own The Price Is Right, but it currently remains exclusive to Fremantle's broadcast partner and because BUZZR supports all of Fremantle's existing relationships, The Price Is Right does not currently air on BUZZR.

What about other Fremantle shows? Let’s discuss some logistics. See the question “What is BUZZR’s process for bringing these vintage episodes to modern-day television?” below for more.

Can I suggest programming?

Sure, we’d love to hear from you! To suggest a game show you think we may have not considered, please email askbuzzr@buzzrplay.com

You may also find the answer to the question “Why do you broadcast some game shows and not others?” relevant.

What is BUZZR’s process for bringing vintage episodes to television?

While BUZZR has access to Fremantle’s vast library of vintage game shows, many of these episodes are not in a format that can be broadcast by today’s television standards. Therefore, each episode undergoes a lengthy process to ensure that it abides by technical and legal standards. First, each episode undergoes a process called digitization, which takes an analog, physical tape and creates a digital copy. Digitization is done in real-time, which means a 30-minute episode takes 30 minutes to digitize. After that, each episode is screened for quality control, which is also done in real-time. This step identifies any deterioration in the episode’s quality, and any verbal/non-verbal content that is outside either the FCC or BUZZR’s standards. While we try our very best to preserve each episode we digitize, there are many instances where we can not air an episode due to poor quality…. It’s the nature of working with vintage content. Next, an episode undergoes brief editing and is copied yet again to a file format required for broadcast. The FCC requires that each episode have closed captioning present, and generating these captions is another step in the workflow that is executed in real-time. Finally, the episode and captions are sent to our broadcast facility which performs another quality check and prepares the files for air.

Why do your programs sometimes start a couple minutes before/after when they are supposed to start?

We do our best to start each episode evenly on the hour or half-hour. However, due to the age of our content, this isn’t always feasible. Today, game shows are taped to meet a strict total duration. This duration is pre-determined to allow for optimal commercial time. Decades ago, the total duration of each episode wasn’t as strict, and the length of each episode often varied. Each episode BUZZR works with is a different length, and they don’t always fit evenly into a 24hr day with today’s commercial volume. Therefore, sometimes episodes need to start slightly before/after the time they are intended to start. When using your DVR, we always recommend setting it to record a few minutes before/after each given program.