GSN, the Network for Games, Announces 'GSN CASINO AWARDS,' the First Ever TV Awards Show to Celebrate the Best Players and Entertainers in the Casino World

Annual Televised Awards Show Will Celebrate the Top Professional and Celebrity Poker and Blackjack Players, as Well as the Top Casino Entertainers

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 31 -- GSN, the network for games, today announced the first-ever annual awards show to celebrate the very best casino players, casino entertainers and casino-related television and movies. The GSN CASINO AWARDS will be broadcast live from Las Vegas in December 2005 on GSN in the U.S. and Canada, and will be licensed to other networks internationally. Nominees and winners in most categories will be determined by a new casino board made up of professional players, entertainers, producers and executives. Winners in selected categories will be determined by the public through voting on GSN.com, through mobile phones, or through GSNi, GSN's new remote control interactive television product.

"As the world's number-one television network for games and the first network to launch a casino night featuring interactive blackjack and poker, GSN is the ideal home for a star-studded annual casino awards show," said Rich Cronin, President and CEO of GSN. "This major annual event is part of GSN's plan to be the network of Las Vegas, in addition to being the recognized leader in interactive games of all types. We will be producing and televising more shows than ever from Las Vegas, including new interactive game shows, poker shows, blackjack tournaments, physical competitions and reality shows."

To date, GSN has already produced many of its programs in Vegas, including tournament shows such as WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK 2005, POKER ROYALE: THE WPPA CHAMPIONSHIPS, POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES, the game show NATIONAL LAMPOON'S FUNNY MONEY and the reality show VEGAS WEDDINGS UNVEILED.

GSN CASINO AWARDS will recognize the top men and women in dozens of categories, including the following:

Best Professional Poker Player / Best Celebrity Poker Player

Best Professional Blackjack Player / Best Celebrity Blackjack Player

Best Casino Comedian

Best Casino Singer

Best Casino Magician

Best Casino-Related Movie Scenes

Best Casino-Related TV Scenes

Performers will be eligible if they performed at a casino showroom or nightclub.

GSN CASINO AWARDS is in the pre-production phase at the network and further information about Las Vegas location, promotional partners, international partners, the casino board and voting procedures will be announced at a later date. The show will honor the best in the business during the calendar year of January through December 2005.

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, alternative sports programs and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features over 100 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 56 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://corp.gsn.com http://GSN.com