G4'S "X-PLAY," THE MOST WATCHED VIDEOGAME SERIES ON TELEVISION, RINGS IN 1000TH EPISODE WITH A SIX HOUR CELEBRATION ON FEBRUARY 1
G4 Pays Homage to Its Anchor Gaming Series with Fan-Selected "Best of X-Play" Marathon, Leading Up to Special One-Hour 1000th Episode and the Launch of "X-Play" in HD
LOS ANGELES, CA � January 11, 2010 � G4's "X-Play" owns the topic of video games and is the most celebrated gaming show on television. On February 1, television's longest running video game series celebrates a milestone � its 1000th episode. Hosted by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, the show's 1000th episode will pack extra punch with a retrospective of the series' greatest moments, as well as all-new material, including interviews with celebrity guests and surprise sketches. The 1000th episode will also mark the launch of "X-Play" in high definition (where G4 HD is available). The six hour celebration begins with a "Best of X-Play" marathon on February 1 at 1PM ET/PT, leading into a special one-hour "X-Play 1000th" special at 6PM ET/PT, only on G4.
"X-Play" premiered in 2003 as the first video game series on television, quickly becoming the go-to destination for young guys seeking the latest video game news, brutally honest reviews, hands-on demos and exclusive video game trailers and footage. The series has helped usher in a decade of major game franchises and the development of new consoles and gaming platforms. As the video game industry has grown to over $20 billion dollars per year, with game releases often trumping many of today's biggest box office hits, "X-Play" is there to cover it all. Surpassing the 1,000 episode mark places the show in a category no other gaming show has even come close to.
Hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb continue to travel to all of the biggest conventions, delivering exclusive gaming news from around the globe and in 2009 the series rose +10% among total viewers and an amazing +25% in the key demo among Men 18-34. As a token of appreciation to viewers for the show's seven years of success, fans are encouraged to vote for which episodes they would like to see in the five-hour, 10-episode "Best of X-Play" marathon. Fans can go to http://g4tv.com/xplay1000 beginning TODAY, Monday, January 11 to vote.
"2009 was another phenomenal year for games and record-breaking for 'X-Play' as our most watched year ever," said Wade Beckett, Executive Producer, "X-Play." "The best is yet to come in 2010 as we are poised for even greater success with the launch of X-Play in HD."
"It has been my dream to have 'X-Play' presented in high-definition to show off the games as they are meant to be seen," added Adam Sessler, Host and Editor-In-Chief, "X-Play." "It's with great pleasure that we can finally make it a reality with such a significant milestone."
On February 1, 2010, hosts, Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb will be joined by correspondent Blair Herter, as well as numerous celebrity guest stars, to deliver a very special homage to the show that does it like no other.
Highlights from the 1000th episode will include:
Brand new comedy from a surprise guest
"X-Play's" most brutal game reviews
The first "X-Play" episode with Adam and Morgan
Morgan Webb's first television appearance on "The Screen Savers"
Adam Sessler's first appearances on Gamespot TV and Extended Play
An homage to Morgan's many hair styles
Where are they now? Featuring "X-Play's" most beloved characters
Appearances by video game industry's biggest luminaries, including:
Will Wright, Creator of The Sims
Cliff Bleszinski, Founder of Epic Games and Creator of Gears of War
Todd Howard, Executive Producer and Designer for Bethesda Softworks
Tim Schafer, Founder of Double Fine Productions
Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac Games
Segments with some of the show's favorite guests will include:
Kato Kaelin
Jack Black
Tony Little
Vin Diesel
Todd McFarlane
The six hour long celebration begins February 1 at 1PM ET/PT with a five-hour marathon of the show's best episodes. The special one-hour "X-Play 1000th" premieres at 6PM ET/PT, only on G4.
In addition to linear content, G4tv.com will feature photo galleries from "X-Play's" best moments, behind-the-scenes videos from the cast and crew, and classic "X-Play" clips. To vote for the top ten best "X-Play" episodes of all time and determine which episodes air in the "Best of X-Play" marathon, viewers should log onto http://g4tv.com/xplay1000.
About Comcast Entertainment Group
Based in Los Angeles, Comcast Entertainment Group operates E! Entertainment Television, the 24-hour network with programming dedicated to the world of entertainment, and E! Online; The Style Network, the destination for women 18-49 with a passion for the best in relatable, inspiring and transformational lifestyle programming; G4, offering the last word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity and "geek culture" for the male 18-34 demo; and FEARnet, the world's premier horror and thriller destination on demand, online and on mobile devices. E! is currently available to 97 million cable and direct broadcast satellite subscribers in the U.S. and the E! Everywhere initiative underscores the company's dedication to making E! content available on all new media platforms any time and anywhere from online to broadband video to wireless to radio to VOD. The Style Network currently counts 66 million cable and satellite subscribers and G4, the #1 podcasted cable network in America, is available in 67 million cable and satellite homes nationwide. FEARnet is a joint venture between Comcast, Sony Pictures Television and Lionsgate. FEARnet.com ranks as the number one horror web site and FEARnet On Demand is one of the top five VOD networks.
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