<P> The lighting system is programmed to darken the set as the contestant progresses further into the game . There are also spotlights situated at the bottom of the set area that zoom down on the contestant when they answer a major question; to increase the visibility of the light beams emitted by such spotlights, oil is vaporized, creating a haze effect . Media scholar Dr. Robert Thompson, a professor at Syracuse University, stated that the show's lighting system made the contestant feel as though they were outside of prison when an escape was in progress . </P> <P> When the shuffle format was introduced, the Hot Seats and corresponding monitors were replaced with a single podium, and as a result, the contestant and host stand throughout the game and are also able to walk around the stage . Also, two video screens were installed--one that displays the current question in play, and another that displays the contestant's cumulative total and progress during the game . In September 2012, the redesigned set was improved with a modernized look and feel, in order to take into account the show's transition to high - definition broadcasting, which had just come about the previous year . The two video screens were replaced with two larger ones, having twice as many projectors as the previous screens had; the previous contestant podium was replaced with a new one; and light - emitting diode (LED) technology was integrated into the lighting system to give the lights more vivid colors and the set and gameplay experience a more intimate feel . </P> <P> The U.S. version of Millionaire was launched by ABC as a half - hour primetime program on August 16, 1999 . When it premiered, it became the first U.S. network game show to offer a million - dollar top prize to contestants . After airing thirteen episodes and reaching an audience of 15 million viewers by the end of the show's first week on the air, the program expanded to an hour - long format when it returned in November . The series, of which episodes were originally shown only a day after their initial taping, was promoted to regular status on January 18, 2000 and, at the height of its popularity, was airing on ABC five nights a week . The show was so popular during its original primetime run that rival networks created or re-incarnated game shows of their own (e.g., Greed, Twenty One, etc .), as well as importing various game shows of British and Australian origin to America (such as Winning Lines, Weakest Link, and It's Your Chance of a Lifetime). </P> <P> The nighttime version initially drew in up to 30 million viewers a day three times a week, an unheard - of number in modern network television . In the 1999--2000 season, it averaged No. 1 in the ratings against all other television shows, with 28,848,000 viewers . In the next season (2000--01), three nights out of the five weekly episodes placed in the top 10 . However, the show's ratings began to fall during the 2000--01 season, so that at the start of the 2001--02 season, the ratings were only a fraction of what they had been one year before, and by season's end, the show was no longer even ranked among the top 20 . ABC's reliance on the show's popularity led the network to fall quickly from its former spot as the nation's most watched network . </P>

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