TV tip: Slovenians love knowing the right answer

Why do questions, answers and the chase for victory hold such a strong appeal? Bojan Krajnc’s documentary “In Search of the Right Answer” examines Slovenia’s relationship with television quizzes, from their formats and hosts to contestants, question difficulty and the role of multiple-choice answers.

The film traces quiz programs back to the 1950s, when the first formats appeared in the United States and Britain. Slovenian viewers saw the first domestic programs with quiz elements in the early 1960s. Even socialist authorities, which viewed innovations from the West with caution, accepted the format. Early children’s and youth quizzes often reinforced lessons about the national liberation struggle and the revolution.

In the 1980s, audiences across Yugoslavia watched Kviskoteka, while Ljubljana television offered more crossword and riddle-based programs. Mišo Molk helped make crosswords part of Slovenian popular culture. At the end of the 1990s, Britain’s ITV launched the global hit Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which Pop TV began broadcasting in Slovenia in 2000. Hosted by Jonas Žnidaršič, the show became a major success.

Since then, Slovenian television has largely relied on foreign quiz formats. The main exception is Male sive celice, a quiz for primary-school pupils that public television has broadcast for more than 30 years. Its educational foundation, however, has not significantly expanded the pool of contestants applying for television quizzes.

That pool remains limited, although the pub-quiz subculture has grown since the COVID-19 period. Experts say Slovenia has no more than 100 high-quality quiz players. The strongest have competed in domestic and international events, placing Slovenia in the middle tier of European quiz countries. Croatia remains considerably ahead and ranks among the continent’s most developed quiz cultures.