or


[08/04/06 - 12:00 AM]
Gsn, the Network That First Brought Live Participation TV to America, Adds Another Night to Successful 'Playmania' Block

[via press release from GSN]

GSN, the Network That First Brought Live Participation TV to America, Adds Another Night to Successful 'PLAYMANIA' Block

Starting August 27, Sundays Will Be Added to the PLAYMANIA Late Night Block Series' Addition Will Kick Off With Tribute to the Big TV Awards Weekend

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 4 -- GSN, the network for games, is proud to add a fourth night to its successful live participation TV franchise PLAYMANIA, the first of its kind to air in the United States. PLAYMANIA premiered April 6 and has seen tremendous growth in its Thursday through Saturday (1:00-3:00 AM ET/10:00-Midnight PT*) air schedule, which will expand to include Sundays starting August 27; it was announced today by Rich Cronin, president and CEO of GSN.

The addition of Sunday nights falls on the same evening as television's Emmy Awards show, so PLAYMANIA will pay homage to the television world all weekend with TV-themed games and puzzles, increased prize values, guest celebrity visits and more, starting Thursday, August 24.

"As the network for games and the industry's interactive leader, we're proud to have been the first channel in America to offer live participation TV game shows," said Cronin. "This format has proven to be very successful in Europe, and we see it playing a large role in interactive television in the United States."

"Since PLAYMANIA's April premiere, we have experienced 300% growth in participation. Much of this success is due to the fact that the GSN audience loves to play games," said John P. Roberts, Senior Vice President of Digital Media and Interactive Entertainment. "This announcement is just the beginning ... we have many upcoming innovations that will thrill our growing community of self-proclaimed 'PlayManiacs'."

PLAYMANIA is a live interactive game show where viewers become contestants, playing a multitude of interactive word games, number games and puzzles. Hosted by LINGO co-host and former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey, and by British QUIZNATION star Mel Peachy, PLAYMANIA gives viewers the opportunity to compete for cash and prizes up to $5,000 by text messaging or going online to gsn.com.

PLAYMANIA is produced by GSN in conjunction with Optimistic Entertainment.

Optimistic, Optimistic Entertainment develops, produces and distributes interactive TV content and IP for its own and third party networks. Recent shows and commissions include "Flipside TV," "Pop the Q," "Celebrity Soup" and "Play Sudoku." The company was established in 2002 by Jasper Smith and David Brook. Further information on Optimistic Entertainment can be found at http://www.oeplc.com

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 and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features over 133 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. Now reaching more than 60 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.

-GSN-

SOURCE GSN
http://www.oeplc.com http://gsn.com http://corp.gsn.com





  [august 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[09/09/26 - 01:01 PM]
Star-Studded Lineup Set to Present at the 78th Emmy Awards, Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock
They'll join host Emmy Award-winning actor, director, producer and television icon Mariska Hargitay.

[09/09/26 - 12:09 PM]
ESPN to Exclusively Televise MLB Doubleheader on September 23 Featuring Matchups with Postseason Implications
Look for Cleveland Guardians/Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros/Seattle Mariners on said date.

[09/09/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 31
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Grand Tour," and "The Traitors" led all original series worldwide.

[09/09/26 - 11:51 AM]
BYUtv's "Big Stories" Returns for Fourth Season Featuring NFL Legends and Untold Stories from Across the Big 12
Each 7-to 10-minute episode will be available to stream for free alongside each game on the BYUtv app and at BYUtv.org.

[09/09/26 - 10:52 AM]
Lifetime Announces New Original Documentary "Kimora Lee: On Her Own" Premiering September 20
Model, businesswoman and mother, Kimora Lee, tells her story through candid interviews with her children, family, friends and collaborators to chronicle her extraordinary journey from one of Karl Lagerfeld's youngest Chanel models to the visionary behind Baby Phat.

[09/09/26 - 10:15 AM]
Michael Kelly Joins Season Three of the Paramount+ Hit Series "Landman"
Kelly will star as William Crockett, the leader of the largest oil management firm in the world.

[09/09/26 - 10:01 AM]
Host Jane Krakowski and New Bandleader Robin Thicke Set the Stage for an All-New Season of "Celebrity Name That Tune"
Ice-T and Tony Hawk face off in the season premiere on Monday, September 21.

[09/09/26 - 10:00 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" to Premiere 52nd Season Sept. 26 on NBC and Peacock
Jalen Brunson, Dakota Johnson, Shane Gillis, and Inde Navarrette are the first wave of hosts.

[09/09/26 - 10:00 AM]
Prime Video Announces 2026 New York Comic Con Programming
"Blade Runner 2099," "Bloodaxe," and "Helluva Boss" are the featured projects.

[09/09/26 - 09:19 AM]
Johnny Knoxville and the Gang Make One Final Raucous Return for "Jackass: Best and Last," Streaming on Paramount+ September 24
Grab your buddies, raise your glasses and experience the cinematic event that promises to be the last time you'll ever laugh this hard.

[09/09/26 - 09:16 AM]
New Dating Series Will Discover If Singles Can Fall in "Love at First Sight"
Do you believe you could see someone and know instantly that they're the one?

[09/09/26 - 09:07 AM]
Nirvana to Receive Video Vanguard Award During "2026 MTV Video Music Awards" Airing Live Sept. 27 on CBS
On this date in 1992 (9/9/92), Nirvana took to the "VMAs" stage for the first time - shaping music, culture and MTV forever.

[09/09/26 - 09:05 AM]
"Ghost Adventures" Returns with Chilling All-New Season - Wednesday, September 30 on Discovery Channel
Navigating abandoned frontier towns, centuries-old landmarks and historic estates, investigators Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley and Billy Tolley delve into the shadows of America's turbulent past in pursuit of restless dark forces wreaking havoc on the living.

[09/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases Trailer for "The Howard Stern Show"
Each week, Howard's SiriusXM show will be adapted into a streamable episode for HBO Max.

[09/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
USA Network's "The Rainmaker" Returns for Season 2 on Friday, October 16 at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT
In 2025, "The Rainmaker" became USA Network's most-watched freshman series in seven years and finished the year as the #1 highest-rated new scripted TV series across all of cable.