Mark Burnett Productions and AOL to Produce 'Gold Rush!'
Mark Burnett Productions and AOL have signed a major production deal to develop a real-life reality treasure hunt called "Gold Rush!" The show will air exclusively on the AOL.com website, and will track real-life challengers searching for hidden treasure across the United States.
The challenging clues will be placed throughout the AOL network, including websites such as AOL.com, AIM.com, Moviefone.com and MapQuest.com. The clues and the show will also be promoted on other media, including television, print and wireless.
"With 'Survivor,' 'The Apprentice,' 'The Contender' and 'Rock Star,' I've been amazed by the volume of fans who constantly want to communicate online about each of these shows. They clearly want a lot more content than they can enjoy during one hour of television per week," said Mark Burnett. "The world is changing and the Internet is about to become the next broadcast network. With the volume of people able to watch content on their computers between 9am to 5pm, it could very well become the new primetime. The immediate future will take advantage of content that utilizes television, print and the Internet in concert. AOL and I are embracing this immediate future through 'Gold Rush.'"
"This is a totally original concept that comes to us from the guy who created reality television," said Jon Miller, Chairman and CEO of America Online. "It defines engagement; it's disruptive by nature and it will certainly be habit forming – all the best of the Internet in one fell swoop."