Savannah

Wordle, the addictive digital puzzle game offered daily by the New York Times, could soon be coming to television.

NBC has ordered a pilot based on Wordle, according to people familiar with the project who were not authorized to comment publicly.

“Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, an obsessive player of the game herself, serves as the emcee in the TV version.

The test program will be used to determine whether the project, which is not yet officially titled, gets ordered for a series. A representative for NBC declined comment.

NBC’s Savannah Guthrie is seen at Rockefeller Center in New York in 2021.

(Jesse Dittmar / For The Times)

The Wordle project is being produced by “Tonight” host Jimmy Fallon’s company Electric Hot Dog, which already has two prime-time game shows on the air at the network, “That’s My Jam” and “On Brand.” Fallon is also a producer on NBC’s version of the classic game show “Password,” which has been ordered for a third season.

As many millions of the game’s fans know, the daily Wordle asks players to guess a five-letter word in six chances through a process of eliminating letters. An individual player’s performance in the game can be posted online without revealing the answer, as the colored tiles are shown without the letters.

Wordle was created by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021. After it became an immediate hit online, the New York Times purchased it for a price reported to be in the low-seven-figure range.

Offered as part of a subscription to a bundle of puzzles on the New York Times web site and app, Wordle has been a major driver of digital revenue for the company. The game was played 5.3 billion times in 2024.

The Times is a production partner on the TV version with Electric Hot Dog.

Jimmy Fallon, left, Keke Palmer and Jon Hamm in “Password” on NBC.

(Jordin Althaus / NBC)

The idea of a TV version had been explored by the Times for awhile, and the company’s timing is fortunate. Game shows have become a staple on broadcast networks such as NBC in recent years as viewers have increasingly made streaming platforms their first stop for scripted comedies and dramas.

Game shows are cheaper to produce than scripted shows. They also appeal to traditional TV viewers with an appetite for programming they can turn on and enjoy without requiring any binge-watching to catch up on plot points.

Marshall had not fought in a boxing ring for two years, but still had hold of one of her world titles, the IBF, when she passed through the ropes.

The English fighter is a former undisputed champion at super-middleweight but, in her absence, Green had risen to world champion status with the WBO belt.

Hartlepool’s Marshall started well showing little ring rust, even smiling as she quickly seized control, walking down Green, who was deducted a point for holding.

The 34-year-old clipped Green on several occasions but the fight turned in round five when the American landed a big left hand.

Marshall endured two draining rounds and was hurt several times under pressure from Green.

Despite having the momentum, Green’s variety let her down and Marshall was able to weather the storm and clear her head.

The fight was finely balanced in the final four minutes, a testament to both fighters relying almost exclusively on winding up their big punches.

Marshall and Green were exhausted when the final bell sounded and both women cut nervous figures in the centre of the ring as the scorecards were read out.

One judge saw it 96-93 for Marshall, while the other scorecards read 95-94 and 96-93 for Green.

It is only Marshall’s second defeat, the first being to Claressa Shields in 2022, but after such a close fight, she could be in the frame for an immediate rematch with Green.

The Savannah Bananas, the team that went viral playing a hilarious brand of baseball, are coming this Sunday to a streamer near you.

Could there be a more exciting Fourth of July weekend, America? No. No, there could not be.

Sunday at 12:30 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. Eastern, the Bananas have a rematch against the Firefighters, the team they played at Anaheim Stadium at the end of May. That game will go down at Boston’s Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, and will be streamed live on the Roku Channel.

“We can’t wait to bring the fast-paced game of Banana Ball to new fans all over the country on Roku!” Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole said in a news release. “And you better believe that we’ve got some surprises in store for Fenway!”

Guess there’s little or no reason, except maybe having no internet access, to wait until the CW does its own broadcast of the Bananas playing the Texas Tailgaters on July 27 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

“Banana Ball” — for those who don’t have TikTok, Instagram, Facebook Reels, X or any Bananas-loving real-world friends — incorporates humor, gymnastics, lip-syncs and snappy dance choreography in an exhibition baseball game with rules that definitely don’t match those of Major League Baseball (though many of the players once had MLB aspirations).

The Savannah Bananas, a minor league baseball club, went on their first ever “World Tour” this year, taking their unique brand of baseball to various cities across America.

Only the Bananas deliver baby races, a dancing umpire and backflips before balls are caught in the outfield. Can’t get that in Oklahoma City. Plus the games are limited to two hours max, something even the much-loved MLB pitch clock can’t deliver.

This year, the team has sold out 18 major league ballparks, plus three football stadiums with capacities of more than 70,000.

Tickets typically are available only through a lottery — and last time we checked the wait-list for that lottery, it was more than 3 million names long. Try to join it now and the Bananas website will tell you sure, go ahead, but be prepared to hold your horses till next season, my friend. Last season’s games drew a million fans total.

“There is truly no sports experience with the same action as a Savannah Bananas game,” said Joe Franzetta, the head of Roku Media’s sports division, in the news release. “We look forward to using the power of our platform to amplify the game directly to both die-hard audiences and millions of new fans about to discover something special.”

As owner Cole told The Times back in 2022, “We’ve always been very clear about our goal. We exist to make baseball fun.”

Folks with a Roku TV or who stream through a Roku device should be good to go for Sunday’s free broadcast. The Roku Channel can also be accessed online at TheRokuChannel.com and on iOS and Android devices and various and sundry smart TVs.

And remember to set your DVR to record the CW on July 27.

Former Times reporting fellow Anthony De Leon contributed to this report.