Monterosa set for US push after NBC deal

The business has opened an office in Los Angeles, with plans to expand into New York later this year.

The move comes after Monterosa agreed a licensing deal with NBC to adopt its second-screen platform, dubbed ‘Lvis’.

Singing competition The Winner Is, which launches next week, will feature a playalong game in which viewers can win $10,000 by predicting who will progress.

Monterosa is also working with the US broadcaster, All3Media America and Studio Lambert to provide the interactive elements of Million Second Quiz, which is due to air in September.

The details are being closely guarded, but Monterosa commercial director Tom McDonnell said viewer engagement is vital. “The second screen will be integral to the show,” he revealed. “Without it, you wouldn’t have the format as it stands.”

The deals follow a partnership with NBC, forged by McDonnell, to provide second-screen support for the recent series of Talpa Media format The Voice.

As part of its growth strategy, Monterosa is dividing its business into entertainment, sport and advertising divisions. The company is also close to appointing a USbased head of sport following the success of the Grand National Horse Tracker app for Channel 4.

A US presence is a critical part of Monterosa’s growth plan. “The [US] market is many times bigger, both in population and number of broadcasters,” said McDonnell. “It also gives us more credibility globally. You can’t become the de facto second-screen provider unless you’re in America.”

McDonnell added that innovation in the UK market had stalled following the success of C4’s The Million Pound Drop, but he expected more in the future.

“There’s been some dithering in the UK,” he said. “We like to be different, so when someone scores a hit there’s a reluctance for others to just copy it, whereas the mentality in other countries is to do lots more of a successful format.”