A Look Back at Afghanistan’s Successful “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

During its heyday several years ago, it seemed like the hit television show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” was everywhere. Dubbed by many the world’s most popular game show, the quiz-show-style program that pitted contestants against increasingly difficult trivia questions enjoyed a huge following in countries all around the world, and made the catchy phrase “Is that your final answer?” a household saying in dozens of languages.

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In Afghanistan, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” (WWTBAM) was more than just an entertaining program; it was also the inspiration for a unique collaborative partnership between two of the country’s most important telecommunications and media companies: Afghan Wireless and Ariana Television Network.

Five years ago, these two businesses joined forces to bring the Afghan version of WWTBAM to television viewers across Afghanistan, along with the special add-on of the “AWCC Millionaire SMS Challenge.” Read on for a look back at this remarkable initiative.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – Afghan-style.

With WWTBAM fever sweeping the globe, Afghan Wireless and Ariana Television recognized that Afghan audiences deserved their own version of this hugely popular program. To make this happen, the two companies forged a unique partnership to create the show, find and audition contestants, and broadcast the program to viewers around the country.

August 2011 marked the debut of Afghanistan’s very own WWTBAM; over the course of a 13-week period, four episodes of the show were aired live on Ariana Television every week. To maximize inclusiveness, the show was broadcast in both Dari and Pashto: Dari episodes were hosted by Mustafa Sadat and aired on Saturday and Sunday evenings; Pashto episodes were hosted by Najiba Fais and aired on Monday and Tuesday evenings.

Except for employees of Afghan Wireless and Ariana Television, any Afghan citizen over 18 years of age was eligible to apply to be a contestant on WWTBAM. Would-be millionaires completed a written test and then, if their test scores were high enough, they moved on to an audition interview. Together, Afghan Wireless and Ariana Television assembled a contestant pool of knowledgeable and dynamic individuals from all over Afghanistan.

What was the AWCC Millionaire SMS Challenge?

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Held during the weekly broadcast of WWTBAM, the AWCC Millionaire SMS Challenge was a mini-contest for television viewers. Each episode of the show featured a special three-part segment: during the first commercial break, the WWTBAM host presented viewers with a trivia question similar to those featured on the program. Viewers had until the second commercial break to attempt to answer the question correctly via text message, and the answer was announced during that second break.

All that viewers needed to participate in the challenge was a mobile phone; using an SMS short-code, they could text in their answer to the contest’s central number and immediately receive an SMS confirmation. The first respondent to correctly answer the question was declared the challenge champion and announced as the winner on the next episode of WWTBAM.

Winners of the challenge received a free Afghan Wireless mobile phone, as well as a gift certificate worth US$100. In addition, all participants who answered the trivia question correctly received a congratulatory SMS message from Afghan Wireless inviting them to join the live studio audience during the next WWTBAM episode.

Why were WWTBAM and the AWCC Millionaire SMS Challenge a success?

The Afghan version of WWTBAM captured the imagination not only of Ariana Television viewers and Afghan Wireless customers, but of the nation as a whole. Seeing their own version, in both official languages, of a globally popular program was special enough for many viewers, helping them feel culturally connected to the rest of the world during what was still a tumultuous time for Afghanistan.

In addition, the participatory element introduced by the SMS Challenge added a whole new layer to the program, directly engaging viewers with what they were seeing on television and allowing them the chance not just to watch, but to also be part of the action. The SMS Challenge was also an important step forward in demonstrating for many Afghans the power of mobile technology in a fun and easy-to-understand way, showcasing how even the simplest mobile handset can link telecommunications users and customers with each other, with their cultural and entertainment influences, and with the wider world.