GSN Is Turning Insomniacs Into 'PLAYMANIACS'

America's First Live Participation Television Series Goes to Six Nights a Week October 2

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 25 -- GSN is proud to expand its successful live participation TV franchise, PLAYMANIA, to six nights a week. PLAYMANIA premiered April 6 with three nights a week, GSN added a fourth night in August and the series will go to a Tuesday to Sunday (midnight - 2:00 AM, ET) air schedule starting October 2; it was announced today by Rich Cronin, president and CEO of GSN.

"This exciting format has clearly struck a chord with United States audiences," said Cronin. "We will continue to broaden the scope of our games now that we have more hours in which to play."

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.

* Note to Pacific Time Zone Writers: 70% of Pacific Time viewers (all satellite viewers and some cable customers) will see Playmania LIVE from 10:00 PM to 12:00 a.m. PT, Tuesdays through Sundays. For other cable systems in the Pacific Time Zone, PLAYMANIA is re-broadcast from 1:00 - 3:00 AM PT depending on the specific operator. For exact cable viewing times, please consult local listings.

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