One of the highest-rated game shows in American history recently moved from New York to Connecticut. The quiz show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” which is entering its 13th year in syndication, just started shooting at the Connecticut Film Center in Stamford.
The relocation of the Disney-ABC Domestic Television program will create 150 jobs in Connecticut, according to a press release by Gov. Dannel Malloy.
“This relocation ”“ and the 150 jobs that come with it ”“ is just the latest example of how our efforts to build Connecticut’s television and digital media industry have paid off tremendously over the last three years,” Malloy said in the press release.
Disney’s Valleycrest Productions, the show’s production entity, is eligible to take advantage of the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s digital media and motion picture tax credit program.
“With successful economic development tools like our motion picture credit program, we will continue to attract the kinds of productions and digital media that not only bring new investments to our state, but also good-paying jobs with good benefits for our residents,” Malloy said, noting the recent opening of ESPN’s Digital Center 2, a 194,000-square-foot digital production center in Bristol that houses ESPN’s SportsCenter franchise.
The state program provides companies with up to a 30 percent tax credit for production expenses. Since 2006, the Department of Economic and Community Development issued $365 million in tax credits and leveraged $1.2 billion for expenditures in film, television and digital media production, according to the press release.
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” is handing over the show to former NFL player Terry Crews, who was confirmed in May as the new host for the 2014-15 season. The show was originally hosted by Regis Philbin, then by Meredith Vieira, of Westchester County, N.Y., for 11 seasons, and Cedric the Entertainer last season.
