NTN Buzztime
NTN Buzztime operates a subscription-based interactive entertainment platform that delivers trivia, poker, bingo, arcade, and live-hosted game content to hundreds of bars and restaurants via its proprietary network and bundled tablet hardware.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersCarlsbad, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What NTN Buzztime does
NTN Buzztime, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Carlsbad, California, operates an interactive entertainment and integrated marketing platform purpose-built for bar and restaurant venues. The company's core product is the Buzztime network — a proprietary content-delivery platform that streams trivia, live-hosted trivia, poker, bingo, fantasy sports (Bets), and arcade games to participating hospitality venues, accessible either through patron BYOD (phone/tablet) or venue-provided Buzztime Arcade tablets. Supporting infrastructure includes Game Room (a centralized entertainment suite), Bar Display (a central hub for in-venue entertainment and advertising), Bar Hero (a patron loyalty/rewards program), and Spot Map (a venue-discovery network feature). The platform is positioned to drive midweek dwell time, check-average growth, and customer loyalty for venue operators.
The business is monetized through a tiered monthly subscription model: Bronze at $199/month (BYOD), Silver at $249/month (5 tablets included), and Gold at $299/month (10 tablets included), each requiring a 6-month commitment. The company also generates tablet hardware revenue bundled into Silver and Gold plans. Distribution is hybrid: a direct/inside sales motion targeting hospitality operators (phone line 1-877-757-1130, [email protected]) is layered with a self-serve website storefront, a $250 Bar Tab referral program, and promotional campaigns (e.g., a $50K Giveaway). Named customers include Buffalo Wings, Boston Pizza, No Frills, and Old Chicago, with the company claiming "hundreds of venues" on its network.
Financially, NTN Buzztime is publicly listed on NYSE American under ticker NTN but trades at a market capitalization of approximately $618,620 with a stock price around $0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, indicating high financial leverage relative to a small equity base. The company employs 51-100 people. The only disclosed acquisition is Spogo Inc. (July 2015), and the only known historical funding round is a $1,000,000 investment from Scientific Atlanta in June 2001. The company does not document any AI/ML capabilities, patents, awards, or major partnerships in the available data.
NTN Buzztime firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NTN Buzztime
- Legal name
- Buzztime
- Website
- https://Buzztime.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- NTN Buzztime operates a subscription-based interactive entertainment platform that delivers trivia, poker, bingo, arcade, and live-hosted game content to hundreds of bars and restaurants via its proprietary network and bundled tablet hardware.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NTN Buzztime industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hospitality Entertainment Software
- NAICS
- Amusement Arcades (71312), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Party Games, Activities & Interactive Entertainment (HSACACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Amusement/Redemption Arcade Machines (Ticket & Prize) (MPAEAJAD)
Keywords
Where NTN Buzztime is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Carlsbad
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
NTN Buzztime business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venue Subscription Plans: Monthly subscription plans (Bronze $199/mo, Silver $249/mo, Gold $299/mo) with 6-month commitment requirement. Provides recurring revenue from venue subscriptions for access to the full Buzztime game library and entertainment platform.
- Tablet Hardware: Silver plan includes 5 Buzztime Arcade tablets; Gold plan includes 10 Buzztime Arcade tablets. Tablets are provided as part of the subscription tier, suggesting bundled hardware revenue.
- Platform Licensing: Licensing of proprietary Buzztime network platform and interactive entertainment content (trivia, sports, gaming) to hospitality venues for use in their establishments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Bronze - $199/mo with selfBYOD |
| Subscription | Monthly | Silver - $249/mo with 5 tablets |
| Subscription | Monthly | Gold - $299/mo with 10 tablets |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
NTN Buzztime product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NTN Buzztime provides a subscription-based interactive entertainment platform for bars and restaurants, delivering a proprietary library of trivia, live-hosted trivia, poker, bingo, fantasy sports, and arcade games via the Buzztime network. Venues subscribe to tiered monthly plans (Bronze $199, Silver $249, Gold $299) on a 6-month commitment, with higher tiers bundling Buzztime Arcade tablets. The offering is complemented by the Game Room entertainment suite, Bar Display central control hub, Bar Hero rewards program, and Spot Map venue discovery, designed to increase dwell time, midweek traffic, and check averages at hospitality venues.
Product overview
Buzztime is an interactive entertainment platform for hospitality venues (bars, restaurants) that delivers game show content through a proprietary network. The core offering consists of multiple game types: Trivia, Live Trivia, Poker, Bingo, Bets, and Arcade — all accessible via the Buzztime network platform. The platform is complemented by venue management features including Game Room (full entertainment suite), Bar Display (central content and advertising control), Tablets (hardware for table-side engagement), Bar Hero (loyalty/rewards), and Spot Map (venue discovery). The company operates on a subscription model with Bronze ($199/mo), Silver ($249/mo with 5 tablets), and Gold ($299/mo with 10 tablets) tiers, requiring a 6-month commitment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Buzztime Trivia: Interactive trivia game platform for bar and hospitality venues
- Buzztime Live Trivia
- Buzztime Bingo
- Buzztime Bets
- Buzztime Poker
- Buzztime Arcade
- Game Room
- Bar Hero
- Bar Display
- Spot Map
Products and services
- Buzztime Trivia Interactive trivia game show content for hospitality venues, playable by customers using their own devices or venue-provided tablets. Designed for bar and restaurant operators to host trivia nights that drive engagement and dwell time.
- Buzztime Live Trivia Live-hosted trivia nights with a host leading the game in real-time, providing structured engagement and entertainment for venue patrons as part of the Buzztime subscription.
- Buzztime Poker Poker tournament and gameplay content for bar and restaurant venues, delivered through the Buzztime network as part of the platform subscription.
- Buzztime Bingo Bingo game show content for hospitality venues, playable by patrons during slow nights to drive engagement, included in the Buzztime subscription platform.
- Buzztime Bets Fantasy sports and betting-themed entertainment content for hospitality venues, available as part of the Buzztime subscription platform.
- Buzztime Arcade Arcade-style games available through the Buzztime platform for venue entertainment, including the Buzztime Arcade tablets bundled with Silver (5 tablets) and Gold (10 tablets) subscription tiers.
- Buzztime Arcade Tablets Venue-provided tablets that enable up to 5x more customer engagement, placed at tables for gameplay access. Bundled with Silver and Gold subscription plans as part of the Buzztime offering.
- Bar Display Central hub system for controlling all venue entertainment and advertising content displayed on screens, included as a venue management feature of the Buzztime platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 5x more engagement with tablets at every table
Companies that use NTN Buzztime
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
NTN Buzztime technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
NTN Buzztime partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
NTN Buzztime competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pour Trivia: Hosted trivia service for bars and restaurants, focused on driving midweek traffic via live trivia nights—directly competitive with Buzztime's vertical and use case.
- Geeks Who Drink: Specializes in hosted pub trivia for bars and restaurants. Competes directly with Buzztime's Live Trivia and Trivia products, offering venues recurring trivia entertainment services.
- TouchTunes: Out-of-home entertainment platform powering jukeboxes and interactive games in bars and restaurants. Competes with Buzztime for venue entertainment budgets and screen-based engagement.
- The Trivia Factory: Provides trivia nights and interactive entertainment for bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues; overlaps with Buzztime's Trivia and Live Trivia offerings.
- AMI Entertainment: Provides jukeboxes, music systems, and entertainment solutions for bars and restaurants, similar to Buzztime's bar display and tablets that drive on-premise engagement.
- Incredible Technologies (Golden Tee): Develops coin-operated bar and arcade games (notably Golden Tee) installed in thousands of bars and restaurants worldwide, overlapping with Buzztime's arcade and tablet-based offerings.
- Stump! Trivia: Hosted bar trivia company that supplies trivia nights and entertainment programming to bars and restaurants nationwide, overlapping with Buzztime's trivia and live-hosted offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Kahoot: Quiz and trivia platform widely used for live games in venues and events; offers an alternative to Buzztime's hosted trivia via free or low-cost consumer/educational tooling.
- Dave & Buster's: Large-format entertainment and dining venue with proprietary arcade and game technology—overlaps with Buzztime's amusement/arcade category for out-of-home entertainment.
- Main Event Entertainment: Family entertainment center chain offering arcade games, food, and drink. Operates at greater scale in the on-premise interactive entertainment category that Buzztime services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NTN Buzztime social profiles
Digital presenceNTN Buzztime financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NTN Buzztime leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
NTN Buzztime funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NTN Buzztime M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NTN Buzztime
What does NTN Buzztime do?
NTN Buzztime provides a subscription-based interactive entertainment platform for bars and restaurants, delivering a proprietary library of trivia, live-hosted trivia, poker, bingo, fantasy sports, and arcade games via the Buzztime network. Venues subscribe to tiered monthly plans (Bronze $199, Silver $249, Gold $299) on a 6-month commitment, with higher tiers bundling Buzztime Arcade tablets. The offering is complemented by the Game Room entertainment suite, Bar Display central control hub, Bar Hero rewards program, and Spot Map venue discovery, designed to increase dwell time, midweek traffic, and check averages at hospitality venues.
Is NTN Buzztime a public or private company?
NTN Buzztime is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was NTN Buzztime founded?
NTN Buzztime was founded in 1984. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is NTN Buzztime based?
NTN Buzztime is headquartered in Carlsbad, United States, in the North America region.
How does NTN Buzztime make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Venue Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are tablet Hardware and platform Licensing.
Who are NTN Buzztime's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pour Trivia, Geeks Who Drink, TouchTunes, The Trivia Factory, AMI Entertainment, Incredible Technologies (Golden Tee) and Stump! Trivia. Broad incumbents are Kahoot, Dave & Buster's and Main Event Entertainment.
Does NTN Buzztime have an API?
No public API is recorded for NTN Buzztime.
What industry is NTN Buzztime in?
NTN Buzztime's product category is Hospitality Entertainment Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACACAJ, Party Games, Activities & Interactive Entertainment, with a secondary code of MPAEAJAD, Amusement/Redemption Arcade Machines (Ticket & Prize). Its NAICS code is 71312 and its SIC code is 7990.