VERSUS TO DEBUT ORIGINAL SERIES: SPORTS SOUP

The Twice Weekly Series, Hosted by Comedian Matt Iseman, Will Take Viewers on a Refreshingly Candid Ride through the Sports World

NEW YORK, NY (Sept. 15, 2008) � VERSUS, the network that celebrates real competition, announces the debut of the original series: Sports Soup. The new series, hosted by comedian Matt Iseman, will be an irreverent look at the state of sports and the people who play and report on them. The twice weekly, half-hour series will air Tuesday and Thursday nights beginning October 14, at 10 p.m. ET.

Sports Soup on VERSUS will give viewers a candid perspective and realistic insight into the sports world. Pulling material from anywhere and everywhere in the realm of sports�pre and post game shows, press conferences, local media and off-the-wall places�Iseman will call out athletes and coaches, announcers and analysts, anchors and reporters on their comments and actions and make sense of the nonsensical and anything that deserves a closer look.

"As VERSUS continues to grow and evolve, it's an important initiative for the network to try out new, original programming that will resonate with our viewers and attract new ones," said Marc Fein, Executive Vice President of Programming Production and Business Operations for VERSUS. "Sports Soup will offer viewers an undistorted glimpse into sports. It's our way of providing a voice to sports fans as the show will say what we are all thinking but no one is actually saying, until now. That's refreshing."

From football pre-game shows to mixed martial arts and everything in between, Sports Soup will take viewers around the entire wide world of sports to find the clips that are the most ridiculous, extreme and memorable for all the right and wrong reasons. Sports Soup will be shot in Los Angeles and produced by the same team behind E! Network's hit series The Soup.

"This will be the Chad Johnson of sports shows � a little obnoxious, usually hilarious and so fascinating that you just won't be able to take your eyes off it because you have to see what happens next," said Matt Iseman. "Imagine having a friend that can watch hundreds of channels, 24 hours a day and then pull the best and worst moments to share with you. Sports Soup on VERSUS will be that friend, but we won't drink all your beer."

The network launched a Sports Soup specific microsite (www.versus.com/sportssoup) where viewers can find in-depth information about the show and host Matt Iseman. Some of the contents on the site include the show schedule and video clips of Matt as well as interactive user applications in which Sports Soup fans can submit questions to Matt to be answered during a future show.

Iseman, who graduated with honors from Princeton University and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he received his MD, quit his job as a doctor and moved out to Hollywood to pursue stand-up comedy. He quickly began headlining clubs across the nation and was selected as one of 10 comedians to perform at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of the current hosts on Style Network's Clean House, he has also appeared on Comedy Central's Premium Blend, The Drew Carey Show, NCIS, Courting Alex and had a recurring role on General Hospital; but not as a doctor.