 Comedian Howie Mandel hosts the US version of Deal or No Deal |
Gameshow Deal or No Deal has become a ratings hit in the US, after being shown in 40 countries including the UK. Five trial episodes were among last week's top 15 prime-time programmes in the US, prompting network NBC to commission a full series for March.
Hosted by Howie Mandel, US contestants must choose from 26 cases containing between one cent and $1m (�581,000).
Earlier this month Channel 4 commissioned a further 230 episodes of the UK version, hosted by Noel Edmonds.
Unopened case gamble
Once contestants have chosen a prize case, they choose whether to gamble against an unseen "banker" who offers to buy their unopened case.
Deal or No Deal was devised by Dutch production company Endemol, who also devised and sold the Big Brother format worldwide.
The gameshow attracted 14.1 million US viewers on 21 December, with all five editions of Deal or No Deal included in Nielsen Media Research's top 15 ratings.
They were beaten by shows including CSI: Miami, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Two and a Half Men, Out of Practice and Without a Trace.
The global success of Deal or No Deal follows quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which spawned 106 international versions.
One-Minute World News 
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