GSN 2017 Upfront Recap

For this year’s upfront presentation, the network decided to streamline the event by forgoing the live annual breakfast upfront session, which featured Rebecca Romijn, RuPaul and Donald Faison last year, and simply honed its focus on discussing statistics that expand beyond gender and age and demographics. Some of the data metrics John Zaccario, executive VP of advertising sales and CMO, paid particular attention to include how GSN has fared against other ad-supported cable channels in the last five years in length of tune and frequency of tune (how long audiences watch the network in one sitting and how often viewers watch). GSN is ranked among the top 10 cable entertainment networks in the A25-54 demo for average spin per buyer in department stores, fast food, mass merchandiser, physical retail stores and wireless. Listed below are a couple more noteworthy statistical highlights concerning the network’s performance. 

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #100

This was quite the busy news week in the world of game shows. Earlier this week, we had learned that Jamie Foxx will be the host of a “Name That Tune”-style game show called Beat Shazaam, Andy Cohen will be the host of FOX’s Love Connection revival and Starcade is making a comeback. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. This week's update article will take a look at more of the latest US and international game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less.

Quick Game Show Reminders For January 2017

There are quite a lot of game shows coming down the pike at the top of 2017 including season premieres, series debuts and continuing primetime shows. Listed below are a few game shows to set your DVRs for the next few weeks. All times below are in Eastern Standard Time.

Series Premieres
– The Wall: January 2-3 at 10:00pm & 8:00pm on NBC
– Big Fan: January 9 at 10:00pm & 10:30pm on ABC
– Caraoke Showdown: January 12 at 10:30pm on Spike
Divided: January 19 at 9:00pm & 9:30pm on GSN

Season Premieres
– To Tell The Truth (Season 2): January 1 at 9:00pm on ABC
– Match Game (Season 2): January 4 at 10:00pm on ABC
– Idiotest (Season 4): January 19 at 10:00pm & 10:30pm on GSN

Seasons Currently Airing
– Billy On The Street (Season 5 Continued): January 3 at 10:30pm on TruTV
– Winsanity (Season 1 Continued): January 4 at 1:00am & 1:30am on GSN
– That Awkward Game Show (Season 1 Continued): January 12 at 11:00pm on Spike

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #98

This week's update article will take a look at the some of the latest US and international game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less. Highlights include SNL's latest sketch lampooning Jeopardy!, QI returning for its "N" series with a new host, Wheel of Fortune returning to GSN, Idiotest airing a new episode this week and some of the latest game show ratings.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #93

This week's quick update article will take a look at the some of the latest game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less. This week's highlights include the GSN Games unveiling a new head-to-head gambling gaming app, BUZZR debuting the previously unaired To Tell The Truth pilot tonight, Winsanity's premiere ratings, Idiotest airing an all-nude (no, that is not a typo) episode this week and latest in US, UK and Canadian game show casting calls.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #90

This week's quick update article will take a look at the some of the latest game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less. This week's highlights include ratings updates, MTV adapting a UK-based game show (currently airing on ITV2), Millionaire airing a special edition of the show featuring two contestants from the The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and Channel 4 filming a pilot episode to a new game show next week.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #89

This week's quick update article will take a look at the some of the latest game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less. This week's news highlights include an NPR interview featuring Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, a "groovy" new episode of Idiotest, BuzzFeed checking out the set of the upgraded temple in Legends of The Hidden Temple and an international network adapting its own version of the Who's Still Standing? game show format.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #88

This week's quick update article will take a look at the some of the latest game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less. This week's news highlights include ABC 7 taking a sneak peek of the Jeopardy! set in Washington D.C., Logo's new game show premiering tonight, The Price Is Right revealing the mistakes made in a special episode earlier this month, Idiotest returning this week and Hasbro searching for the next great board game.

“Idiotest” Third Season Premieres April 12 With Celebrity Special

In about a month on April 12 at 10:00pm, GSN’s popular, puzzling game show Idiotest returns for its third season on the network. The season debuts with a special celebrity episode featuring the teams of Dr. Drew Pinsky and Mike Catherwood of HLN’s Loveliness and YouTube stars GloZell and Gaby Dunn playing for up to $10,000 for their respective charities Hillside Home For Children, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, First Christian Church of North Hollywood and the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center. This episode, filled with plenty of hilarity and antics, is one that you will want to stay tuned for, especially if you are fans of either or all of the featured stars.

GSN’s Upfront 2016 Recap

GSN held its annual upfront presentation yesterday morning in at the Paley Center for Media in New York City to unveil the network’s approach to its 2016 slate of programming. Last year’s upfront was highlighted with the renewals of The Chase, Skin Wars and Idiotest, the announcement of new arrivals including Chain Reaction, Hellevator and Lie Detectors, and the network’s revamped logo. Among the announcements made this year by GSN were the introduction of Donald Faison as the host of the new audience participation game show Winsanity, the return of Idiotest, Skin Wars and Hellevator, and a roster of pilots and upcoming series slated to air later this year.

GSN Wraps Up 2015 With Highest Primetime Viewership & Double-Digit Key Demo Growth

For the fourth straight year, GSN has broken its own ratings record with last year marking its most-watched year in network history in primetime and total day among total viewers and the key demos including Adults 18-49, Women 18-49, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54. To be more specific with a few of the statistics, GSN’s 2015 total day ratings among total viewers grew 19%, 35% in Women 18-49, 22% in Persons 25-54 and 18% in Women 25-54. Other highlights include delivering its most watched fourth quarter ever in total day and cable primetime among total viewers and key demos and it ranked among the top ten fastest growing ad-supported cable entertainment networks in the fourth quarter in cable primetime among Persons 18-49 and Persons 25-54.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #78

This week's quick update article will cover some of the latest game show news headlines from the past few days in 200 characters or less including updates featured on the TBIR Facebook page. News updates include recent game show ratings, big news from Monopoly Millionaires' Club, Alex Jacob's dominant Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions finals performance,  Stephen Fry receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award and an online kickstarter funding campaign which could lead to the production of a documentary based on former "controversial" Jeopardy! champion Arthur Chu. 

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #76

This week's quick update article will cover some of the latest game show news headlines from the past few days in 200 characters or less including updates featured on the TBIR Facebook page. News updates include BUZZR gaining virtual residence in Ohio, a Monopoly Millionaires' Club contestant possibly becoming the next American game show millionaire, former Millionaire contestants receiving a second chance to compete on the show next week and some of the latest GSN ratings. WARNING: This article may contain spoilers.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #75

This week's quick update article will cover some of the latest game show news headlines from the past few days in 200 characters or less including updates featured on the TBIR Facebook page. News updates include a live performance of Let's Make A Deal coming to Michigan this weekend, Jeopardy! holding a special online audition test session for Houston residents next week, TLC's Labor Games host Lisa Arch talking with WSRQ Talk Radio's Marilu Henner about her experiences hosting the pregnancy ambush game show and Showtime creating a series based on a former Barker's Beauty model.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #74

This week's quick update article will cover some of the latest game show news headlines from the past few days in 200 characters or less including updates featured on the TBIR Facebook page. News updates include Stephen Fry stepping down as the host of the curiously entertaining BBC panel game show QI, another contestant winning Channel 4's Deal or No Deal's £250,000 top prize, Alex Trebek donating $1 million to Forham University, the first champion to win GSN's newest competitive reality series Steampunk'd along with the show's $100,000 grand prize, and a few GSN ratings updates.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #73

This week's quick update article will cover some of the latest game show news headlines from the past few days in 200 characters or less including updates featured on the TBIR Facebook page. News updates include how ITV2's newest physically challenging game show, Almost Impossible Gameshow, performed in its first night out, GSN's record-breaking third quarter performance in nearly all of its demographic ratings, Canada's Smartest Person returning for another season and a few GSN ratings updates.

"Idiotest" Returns To GSN April 1 For Second Season

In a little less than a month from today, Idiotest returns to GSN with new episodes for its second season beginning Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00pm EST. During the latter half of 2014, the network announced its renewal of the brain-busting game show, hosted by comedian Ben Gleib, and ordered 65 additional episodes to air this year. The show is currently casting for contestants to compete this upcoming season including children ages 11-16 (Go to Craigslist for more information.) Adult applicants can go to gsntv.com/casting for more information on how to apply. You can also prepare yourself for the show or even just play for fun to see smart and observant you are with GSN.com's "Idiotest Challenge".

Stay Tuned: New Episodes of "Idiotest" and "Baggage On The Road" Premiere Tonight on GSN

GSN is set to premiere all new episodes of Idiotest and Baggage's spinoff series, Baggage On The Road, beginning tonight at 8:00pm EST. First, the first season of Idiotest continues with two new episodes at 8:00pm and 8:30pm filled with more competitive teams, more brain teasers and more of host Ben Gleib poking fun at the contestants while knocking them off of their intellectual pedestals. GSN announced late last year that the network renewed the show for a second season with 65 episodes to air. At 9:00pm, Baggage On The Road debuts on the network with two new episodes. The network revived its most successful original dating game show and reformatted it as a traveling game show with Jerry Springer returning as host. The gameplay remains the same with three single contestants trying to win a date and make a love connection with the episode's featured contestant while revealing their most intimate secrets, or "baggage". The series kicks off with episodes filmed from LSU and Austin, TX. Later this season, we will see the shows filmed from Tampa Bay, FL and the University of Connecticut. Stay tuned for both shows this evening and take a look at a couple of promos from both series.

'Tis The Season: "Fifteen To One" Special, "The Line" and GSN Marathons To Air This Week

With Christmas right around the corner, various game shows around the globe are getting into the holiday spirit by airing special episodes and marathons throughout the month. Tonight, Channel 4 in the U.K. will be airing a special celebrity episode of Fifteen To One with Adam Hills and GSN will be debuting its latest game show special event, The Line, with hosts Jeff Davis and Candace Bailey. Later this week, GSN will air marathons of The Chase and Idiotest and reruns of The Line. 

GSN Renews "Idiotest" For Second Season

Yesterday, GSN announced its second season renewal of their latest new original series, Idiotest. This marks the third first-year show the network has renewed in 2014 in addition to It Takes A Church and Skin Wars. Sixty-five episodes have been ordered for the upcoming season and comedian Ben Gleib will return as the show’s host and producer. Although I personally haven’t been keeping up with the ratings for the show, according to Deadline, the series is coming off of three straight weeks of ratings increases and its first season nearly doubled its time period average (+82%) among women 18-49 compared to last year.