 Logo used since October 1, 2018 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United States Canada |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (HD feed downgraded toletterboxing480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sony Pictures Television Networks |
| Parent | Game Show Network, LLC |
| Key people | John Zaccario (president) |
| Sister channels |
|
| History | |
| Launched | December 1, 1994; 30 years ago (1994-12-01) |
| Former names | GSN (2004–18) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| DirecTV Stream | Internet Protocol television |
| Frndly TV | Internet Protocol television |
| Philo | Internet Protocol television |
| Sling TV | Internet Protocol television |
| YouTube TV | Internet Protocol television |
Game Show Network (GSN) is an Americanbasic cable channel owned by thetelevision network division ofSony Pictures Television.[1] The channel's programming is primarily dedicated togame shows, including reruns of acquired game shows, along with new, first-run original andrevived game shows. The network has also previously airedreality competition series andtelevised poker.
As of October 2019, Game Show Network claimed that it was available to "nearly 75 million" American households, primarily through traditionalcable andsatellite services.[2] The network and its original programming are also available onstreaming and Internet television services, includingFrndly TV,YouTube TV,Philo,fuboTV,Sling TV, andPlex.[3]
A spinoff network,Game Show Central, was launched by Sony Pictures Television Networks in March 2020, as a digitalad-supported streaming channel offering Game Show Network original series and a limited selection of acquired game shows also featured on the cable channel. In February 2025, Sony began distributing Game Show Central as an over-the-airmulticast network (primarily on stations owned byThe E. W. Scripps Company andInyo Broadcast Holdings), featuring a separate schedule consisting exclusively of past Game Show Network originals, incorporating programs not carried on either the streaming or cable channels.
On May 7, 1992,Sony Pictures Entertainment joined forces with theUnited Video Satellite Group to launch the Game Show Channel, which was set to begin in 1993.[4] The announcement of the channel was made by SPE president Mel Harris.[5]
On December 2, 1992, Sony Pictures Entertainment made a deal to acquire the Barry & Enright game show library, and in a separate deal, struck a 10-year licensing agreement for the rights to theMark Goodson game show library of more than 20,000 episodes including among others,What's My Line?,Family Feud, andTo Tell the Truth. Upon the deal, Sony said it would sell an equity stake in the network to Mark Goodson Productions, including the production of new original series byJonathan Goodson Productions.[6] Both deals were completed on December 7, 1992, eleven days before Mark Goodson's death.[7] On June 6, 1994, Mark Goodson Productions pulled out of the venture.[8] GSN's launch time was intended to be at 10:00 p.m. ET, but at the time, it was pushed back to 7:00 p.m. ET.
Game Show Network launched at 7:00 p.m. on December 1, 1994.[9] The first aired game show to be on GSN wasWhat's My Line?.[10] By the launch date, the network had secured rights to over 40,000 episodes from the libraries of several game show production companies and corporate parent Sony. The initial lineup was exclusively acquired programming such asMatch Game,Family Feud,The Newlywed Game,Jeopardy!, andWheel of Fortune. Over time, Game Show Network acquired the rights toThe Price Is Right,The $10,000 Pyramid,Let's Make a Deal,Hollywood Squares,Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and other libraries, putting them on the schedule at various times throughout the network's history. The network eventually began producing original game shows such asLingo,Burt Luddin's Love Buffet,Whammy!,Inquizition, andExtreme Gong.[11]Faux Pause is an American television program that aired in 1998 on Game Show Network. Co-hosted by Mary Gallagher and Sean Donnellan,Pause consisted of jokes and skits done while watching certain episodes ofgame shows, in a similar fashion toMystery Science Theater 3000.
In 2001, a massive change in both leadership and programming at the network took place whenLiberty Media acquired a 50% stake. Both president Michael Fleming and vice president Jake Tauber departed, and formerABC Family/Fox Family Channel presidentRich Cronin was hired to head the network.[12]
On March 15, 2004, Game Show Network began using the abbreviation "GSN" and introduced the tagline "The Network for Games." GSN began expanding its programming to includereality television games and various competition-based programs.[13][14][15] GSN would also air reruns of reality competitions (for example,Spy TV andThe Mole).[16] Along with its new format, GSN would continue to produce traditional game shows, including new seasons ofLingo and a revival ofChain Reaction.[17][18]
David Goldhill succeeded Rich Cronin as GSN president on August 1, 2007.[19] Ahigh definitionsimulcast feed of the network was launched on September 15, 2010.[20]
Some notable acquisitions for the network includedWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?[21] and theSteve Harvey-hostedFamily Feud,[22] both of which would headline the network's prime time lineup. Notable original game shows produced during this time wereCatch 21 (which would be revived in 2019),Baggage (hosted byJerry Springer), the first U.S. incarnation ofThe Chase,[23][24][25]American Bible Challenge (the premiere of which drew an audience of nearly two million viewers),[26] andSkin Wars (which would later move toSyfy).[27] The network produced interactive program blocks, such asGSN Live andPlaymania.[28][29]
In March 2011,DirecTV (which by this point had taken over Liberty Media's then-65% stake in the network) sold a 5% stake in the network back toSony Pictures Entertainment. Although DirecTV nominally remained the majority owner, it had ceded control of the network to Sony, and had the right to force Sony to increase its stake in GSN to 58%.[30] On November 8, 2012, DirecTV sold an 18% interest in GSN to Sony.[31] GSN partnered with Vubiquity to launch "GSN On Demand" on August 15, 2013.[32]
In April 2017, David Goldhill stepped down after nearly 10 years as GSN president, the longest tenure for any president to date. He was succeeded by Mark Feldman in August 2017.[33] Later that year, the network would begin to refer to itself in promos by its full name.[34] On October 1, 2018, the network's programming returned to focus on traditional game show formats, culminating in a rebranding that restored the network's full name.[35]
The network's daily schedule would consist almost entirely of original programming, including new shows likeAmerica Says,Common Knowledge, andPeople Puzzler.[36] In April 2020, Game Show Network re-introducedMaster Minds, a retool of an earlier original show calledBest Ever Trivia Show featuringJeopardy! champion and hostKen Jennings, and now hosted by the returningBrooke Burns of the GSN version ofThe Chase.[37]
DirecTV's stake in Game Show Network would move toAT&T when it acquired the service in 2015.[38] On November 18, 2019, it was announced that Sony had acquired AT&T's 42% stake and thus resumed full ownership of GSN.[39] A list of 2020Nielsen ratings published byVariety indicated that Game Show Network averaged 432,000 viewers in prime time, up 6% from the 2019 average.[40]
In December 2021, Mark Feldman resigned after four years as Game Show Network president, to join the video game firmScopely amid the gaming unit sale from Sony. He was succeeded by longtime executive John Zaccario.[41]
On September 7, 2022,Dish Network andSling TV removed Game Show Network from their lineups, after failing to reach a renewal agreement with owner Sony Pictures Television.[42] The network returned to both services on September 27, 2022.[43]
Current original programming, as of April 2025 includesBingo Blitz,Tic-Tac-Dough, andBeat the Bridge. Reruns of past original shows airing on the network includeAmerica Says,Catch 21,Master Minds,Common Knowledge,Split Second,Switch,Chain Reaction (both Dylan Lane-hosted incarnations), andPeople Puzzler.
GSN's acquired slate includesMatch Game (1973-82 version hosted byGene Rayburn and ABC revival hosted byAlec Baldwin),Family Feud (hosted bySteve Harvey),Flip Side,Deal or No Deal (NBC & CNBC versions),Jeopardy! (hosted byAlex Trebek andKen Jennings),25 Words or Less,Cash Cab (hosted byBen Bailey),Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (original ABC primetime run hosted byRegis Philbin),Press Your Luck (ABC revival hosted byElizabeth Banks),Wheel of Fortune (hosted byPat Sajak andVanna White),The Wall,The Chase (ABC revival hosted bySara Haines), and the 2016 version ofThe $100,000 Pyramid.[44][45]
GSN begansyndicating some of its original programming to other channels in the early 2010s. On June 24, 2013, the channel entered into an agreement withBounce TV, giving it the broadcast rights toThe Newlywed Game,Catch 21, andThe American Bible Challenge.[46][47]The American Bible Challenge aired in reruns onUP in fall 2013 and again in spring 2015.Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza aired onLaff in 2015.[48] Reruns ofAmerica Says aired in syndication during the 2019–20 season.[49] Currently, reruns ofPeople Puzzler are airing in syndication for the 2023-24 television season.[50]
 Game Show Central logo used since March 2020 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
|
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV;widescreen) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sony Pictures Television Networks |
| Parent | Game Show Network, LLC |
| Sister channels | Crunchyroll Channel |
| History | |
| Launched |
|
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television | Available in select markets |
| Streaming media | |
| Internet Protocol television | Pluto TV,Prime Video Live TV,The Roku Channel,Xumo Play,Tubi,Plex,Sling TV,Philo,FuboTV,Google TV,Samsung TV Plus,LG Channels,TCL TV+,The CW app,Vizio Watch Free+, Anoki LiveTVx |
On March 28, 2020, the network launched Game Show Central, a digitalstreaming channel broadcasting archived GSN original programming. The network is currently available onSamsung andViziosmart television sets andParamount Global-owned AVOD platformPluto TV (which also carries rival networkBuzzr). Game Show Central features both current/recent Game Show Network originals likeAmerica Says and older shows such asCram,Friend or Foe?,Minute To Win It, andBaggage.[51] By 2023, a limited selection of syndicated shows originally acquired for Game Show Network's schedule (including25 Words or Less and the Steve Harvey run ofFamily Feud) were incorporated into the schedule.The Roku Channel picked up the service (with a somewhat different schedule and roster of shows compared to the Pluto TV stream) later in 2020.[52] The service was made available globally viaPlex in late July 2020.[53]
On October 10, 2023, GSN partnered with sister companyCrunchyroll, LLC to launch aCrunchyroll-brandedFAST channel dedicated toanime and related programming. The Crunchyroll channel initially launched on October 11, 2023 onThe Roku Channel,LG Channels, andVizio WatchFree+ platforms.[54][55]
Beginning on February 17, 2025, Game Show Central would also be offered as an over-the-air digital subchannel network, distributed in a hybrid OTA and cable/streaming model similar to that ofOxygen. At launch, it was primarily carried on stations—many of them beingIon affiliates—owned by theE. W. Scripps Company and Inyo Broadcast Holdings, replacing Sony-owned classic television networkGet (which temporarily replacedScripps News on their stations following that network’s November 2024 conversion into a streaming-only service) on the majority of its charter affiliates. The broadcast feed maintains a separate schedule, incorporating additional archived Game Show Network originals not carried on the cable and streaming channels—including some previously featured on the streaming feed—such asThe Newlywed Game (Sherri Shepherd andCarnie Wilson runs),Blank Slate,Best Ever Trivia Show,Winsanity andLingo (Bill Engvall run).
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, GSN's website at GSN.com offeredFlash games based on popular GSN shows.
In 2007, Liberty Media acquired the Toronto-basedFUN Technologies, operator of the popular onlinetournamentcasual game websiteWorldWinner. Following the acquisition, Liberty began toextend the GSN brand into online gaming by re-branding WorldWinner as a GSN service.[56] GSN also launched asocial gaming app onFacebook, now known as GSN Casino, featuring skill and casino games along with competitive tournaments. By October 2010, GSN Casino had over 8 million active users. GSN also developed aWheel of Fortune app for Facebook, released in 2010.[57]
GSN also published GSN Casinomobile apps, featuring various slot machine and bingo games in 2013,GSN Casino was the 10th highest-grossing app foriPad on theApp Store. In January 2014, GSN acquired Bitrhymes Inc., developers of the social and mobile gamesBingo Bash andSlots Bash, for an undisclosed amount. GSN had sued Bitrhymes in November 2013 following its prior offer to acquire the company, arguing that it had attempted to back out of its offer and accept a different one during GSN's exclusive negotiation period.[58][59]
In November 2014, the network announced that a show based onBingo Bash was in development for Game Show Network's 2015 slate of original programming.[60]
In October 2021, Sony sold the GSN Games subsidiary to mobile game developerScopely in a $1 billion cash and stock deal. Sony then took a minority stake in Scopely.[61][62]
