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One of Fremantle’s top new gameshow formats, the high-stakes “Stacks of Cash,” has initiated its international roll-out with Australia’s Seven Network joining CBS in the U.S. in the latest series commissions.
Handling
global distribution, Fremantle will now bring “Stacks of Cash” to market at Mipcom, which will explain some rather large strange-shaped blocks – a circle, a teddy bear, a top hat – festooning its Mipcom booth from next Monday.
CBS has announced its new 10 part, one-hour episode series will be hosted by Emmy Award-nominated actor Mike O’Malley. For Seven has yet to unveil the host of its commissioned six-part series.
Created and produced by Eureka Studios – behind “Wonka: The Golden Ticket,” “Holey Moley,” “The Floor,” “Farmer Wants A Wife” – “Stacks of Cash” see six contestants answer quiz questions to win giant shapes, its cash value emblazoned on them. Using a giant claw, they gingerly lower them to build multi-shaped towers. In do or die elimination, if the tower falls, they’re out. They have no idea which of 30-plus shapes they’ll get. The sheer variety, including difficult to balance triangles, makes stacking increasingly hazardous.
“Stacks of Cash” made its European debut on TVI, one of Portugal’s biggest commercial networks, its launch episode scored a No.1 primetime timeslot rating in Portugal while multiple episodes ranked as TVI No. 1 show of the day.
In the U.S. advertisers cut their “upfront” spending on broadcast TV by approximately 5.3%, Variety reported. In international first half advertising revenue fell 4% at German broadcast network RTL.
In such a context, Fremantle has hit back shooting all three formats at the same dedicated production hub in Portugal, buyers bringing their own local hosts, contestants and own personality to versions and using the same already built set, boosting economies of scale while still delivering scale to the gameshow and creative exchange, so cost efficiency.
The same shared production hub model has also been used on Fremantle formats “Holey Moley” and “The Tunnel.”
Stacks of Cash is based on a format developed by Eureka Studios Group Pty Ltd and Seven Network (Operations) Limited.
Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Rikkie Proost, Sonya Wilkes, David Tibballs, Ves D’Elia and Ed Egan serve as executive producers.
“Everyone has played a stacking game on their phone. We brought it to life with giant teetering towers and combined it with a rapid-fire quiz,” said Chris Culvenor, Co-CEO Eureka Studios. “It’s a massive primetime format that looks like nothing else on TV and will have the whole family playing along. We’re thrilled CBS and Seven have backed it, and we can’t wait to see the format keep stacking up around the world.”
“‘Stacks of Cash’ is a real edge-of-your-seat gameshow with huge set pieces and a unique visual identity: exactly the kind of big, instantly playable entertainment that can bring viewers together, shouting at the TV,” added Fremantle Head of Global Entertainment Ben Crompton.
He added: “By combining the brilliant creative brains at Eureka with Fremantle’s global network, we created a production model that we know buyers are looking for; delivering both scale and value. These commissions from CBS and Seven, alongside the fantastic response on TVI, shows a real vote of confidence in the format’s international potential.”
Fremantle’s Entertainment Format
The format joins a Mipcom 2026 entertainment lineup which tales in “The Tunnel,” a highly visual quiz game also created by Eureka delivering Spanish public broadcaster RTVE’s best 2026 new gameshow launch and party game adaptation “Hipster,” now in production at RTL in Germany, RTVE, Quebecor Content in Canada, RTL4 in the Netherlands and in Poland.
After seasons on ABC in the U.S. and Seven in Australia, mini-golf extravaganza “Holey Moley,” which also used Fremantle’s Portugal-based production hub, is now expanding with series coming for ITV in the U.K., Prime Video in Germany and TF1 in France.
