The Price Is Right is a television game show format currently owned by the FremantleMedia wing of the RTL Group, originally created by Bob Stewart, former employee of Goodson-Todman Productions in the United States.

The most popular version is currently airing in the United States, hosted by Bob Barker. This version, which recently ended its 35th season, is both a spin-off of a previously successful version and the seed for many international versions of the show.

The Price Is Right's US 35th season logo.

Original format
Main article: The Price Is Right (1956 game show)
The original format, which first aired on the NBC and ABC television networks in the United States from 1956 until 1965, hosted by Bill Cullen, generally involved four contestants bidding on lavish prizes; after a predetermined number of bids, the player whose bid was closest to the correct value of the prize (without going over) would win it. At show's end, the player who had won the most (by dollar value) was declared the champion and returned to play again on the next episode.

In 1957 an Australian version made its debut on ATN-7.


Revised format
Main article: The Price Is Right (US game show)
An updated version of the format premiered in the United States on the CBS television network on September 4, 1972 [1]. In this new iteration, contestants place one bid on an offered prize; the player who bid closest (but not over) then got to play one of several mini-games (dubbed Pricing Games in most countries) for an additional prize. One contestant, through various elimination formats, could find themselves winning a large showcase of prizes at the show's conclusion. Originally thirty minutes long, the show was expanded to its current hour-long format in the fall of 1975. At this time, a new feature was introduced, involving a large wheel displaying various amounts from five cents up to one dollar, which contestants were asked to spin. The contestant who came closest to one dollar in not more than two spins, without going over, was brought back to compete in the Showcase at the end of the show. The three winners of each half-hour segment get the chance to spin the wheel, with the winner of each spin competing against one another (see Showcase Showdown).

The 1972 American version was hosted by Bob Barker from September 1972 to June 2007; his last new episode aired on June 15, 2007. The show will go on with a new host. It is still currently airing as of June 2007 on CBS and is believed to be the second longest-running game show on television, trailing only the Spanish-language variety show Sábado Gigante [2]; it is also the longest running five-days-a-week game show in the world. (Wheel of Fortune began its syndicated run in 1983[3], and Jeopardy! followed in 1984.[4]) The Price Is Right is one of only two game show franchises to be seen nationally in either first-run network or syndication airings in the US in every decade from the 1950s onward; the other is To Tell the Truth, another show created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman.


In other countries
The 1972 revised format appeared on Australian TV the following year, and debuted in the UK in 1984. The format has since been seen in dozens of countries.

In the United States and Canada:
The Price Is Right (1956-1965), the original version hosted by Bill Cullen.
The Price Is Right (1972-Present), the current version hosted by Bob Barker (1972-2007).
The Price Is Right (1972-1977), Dennis James hosted a nighttime version from 1972 to 1977.
The Price Is Right (1985-1986), the short lived nighttime version hosted by Tom Kennedy.
The New Price Is Right (1994-1995), the short lived nighttime version hosted by Doug Davidson.
The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular (2003-Present), a series of primetime specials spun off from the current daytime show; hosted by Bob Barker (2003-2007).

Bruce's Price Is Right (UK)

The Price Is Right (UK)

In the United Kingdom:
The Price Is Right (UK game show)
In Australia:
The Price Is Right (Australian game show)
Elsewhere:
The Price is Right around the world