GSN Orders Billiards Series 'NO LIMIT 9 BALL'

Winner-Takes-All Format Offers $20,000 per Episode

Series Will Begin Taping in March and Feature Two Celebrity Episodes

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 14 -- GSN, the network for games, has ordered series production of NO LIMIT 9 BALL, a 9-ball pool series featuring top pool sharks who will participate in winner-takes-all episodes for $20,000. Scheduled for a 13-week run and hosted by Sal Masekela (X Games), the series will also include two celebrity episodes with some of Hollywood's top pool players competing to earn money for their favorite charity. The announcement was made today at the network's Television Critics Association presentation by Ian Valentine, Senior Vice President of Programming, GSN.

"We think pool is ripe for the same kind of renaissance that Poker has experienced," Valentine said, "and we believe the addition of a 'hustling' element enhances the game's fundamental drama."

With four players per episode, each participant will begin with a "bankroll" to challenge the competition throughout their episode. A player is eliminated when he/she has lost his/her entire bankroll. The player who defeats the competition and leaves all of the other players broke will walk away with $20,000.

NO LIMIT 9 BALL is a game where no player can deny a challenge from another player. Once a challenge is levied, both players will place cash on the table. The two players will then play one game of 9-ball for all the money on the table while they and the non-competing players engage in side betting on the current match. The player who leaves his opponents penniless will therefore have to compare billiard skill with the guts to bet big on themselves and the ability to analyze the relative skills of his other opponents. That is, who is the ultimate "hustler."

The rules of 9-Ball: Nine ball is played with the one through nine balls and a cue ball. The object is to sink the nine ball; however, on each shot the first ball that the cue ball contacts must be the lowest-numbered ball on the table. If a player pockets any ball on a legal shot, he remains at the table for another shot, and continues until he misses, fouls, or wins the game by pocketing the 9-ball. After a miss, the incoming player must shoot from the position left by the previous player, but after any foul the incoming player may start with the cue ball anywhere on the table.

NO LIMIT 9 BALL is produced by SokoLobl Entertainment and executive produced by Sam Sokolow and Rob Lobl. The duo has also executive produced "Taildaters" for MTV, "Ultimatum" for Style Channel and "Vegas Weddings Unveiled" for GSN, among others. In addition, NO LIMIT 9 BALL is co-executive produced by Mars Callahan, a legendary Hollywood pool shark and top amateur player who has won nearly $500,000 in cash and prizes from tournament play, and who co-wrote, directed and starred in the film "Pool Hall Junkies."

GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries, video game programs and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features 84 hours per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via gsn.com. Reaching 55 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com.

SOURCE GSN
Web Site: http://www.gsn.com