1994–2004: as "Game Show Network" On May 7, 1992,
Sony Pictures Entertainment joined forces with the
United Video Satellite Group to launch the Game Show Channel, which was set for a 1993 launch. The announcement of the channel was made by SPE president Mel Harris. 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 the
Mark Goodson game show library of more than 20,000 episodes including among others, ''
What's My Line?, Family Feud, and To 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 by
Jonathan Goodson Productions. Both deals were completed on December 7, 1992, eleven days before Mark Goodson's death. On June 6, 1994, Mark Goodson Productions withdrew from the venture. GSN's launch time was intended to be at 10:00 p.m. ET, but at the time, it was instead set for three hours earlier to 7:00 p.m. ET. Game Show Network launched at 7:00 p.m. on December 1, 1994. The first aired game show to air on GSN was ''
What's My Line?. By the launch date, the network had acquired 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 as Match Game, Family Feud, The Newlywed Game, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune. Over time, Game Show Network acquired the rights to The 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 as
Lingo, ''
Burt Luddin's Love Buffet (Hosted by John Cervenka) , Whammy!, Inquizition, and Extreme Gong. One program to air on GSN was Faux Pause,
which aired in 1998, and was co-hosted by Mary Gallagher and Sean Donnellan. Pause
consisted of jokes and skits done while watching certain episodes of game shows, in a similar fashion to Mystery Science Theater 3000''. In 2001, a massive change in both leadership and programming at the network took place when
Liberty Media acquired a 50% stake. Both president Michael Fleming and vice president Jake Tauber departed, and former
ABC Family/Fox Family Channel president
Rich Cronin was hired to lead the network.
2004–18: as "GSN" 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 include
reality television games and various competition-based programs. GSN would also air reruns of reality competitions (for example,
Spy TV and
The Mole). Along with its new format, GSN would continue to produce traditional game shows, including new seasons of
Lingo and a revival of
Chain Reaction.
David Goldhill succeeded Rich Cronin as GSN president on August 1, 2007. A
high definition simulcast feed of the network was launched on September 15, 2010. Some notable acquisitions for the network included
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and the
Steve Harvey-hosted
Family Feud, both of which would headline the network's prime time lineup. Notable original game shows produced during this time were
Catch 21 (which would be revived in 2019),
Baggage (hosted by
Jerry Springer), the first U.S. incarnation of
The Chase,
American Bible Challenge (the premiere of which drew an audience of nearly two million viewers), and
Skin Wars. The network produced interactive program blocks, such as
GSN Live and
Playmania. In March 2011,
DirecTV (which by this point had acquired Liberty Media's then-65% stake in the network) sold a 5% stake in the network back to
Sony Pictures Entertainment. Although DirecTV nominally remained the majority owner, Sony begin taking control of the network, and had the right to force Sony to increase its stake in GSN to 58%. On November 8, 2012, DirecTV sold an 18% interest in GSN to Sony. GSN partnered with Vubiquity to launch "GSN On Demand" on August 15, 2013.
2017–present: Return to "Game Show Network" In April 2017, David Goldhill resigned as president of the network after nearly 10 years. He was succeeded by Mark Feldman in August 2017. Later that year, the network would begin to refer to itself in promos by its full name. 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. The network's daily schedule would consist almost entirely of original programming, including new shows such as
America Says,
Common Knowledge, and
People Puzzler. In April 2020, Game Show Network premiered
Master Minds, a retool of a 2019 original show called
Best Ever Trivia Show featuring
Jeopardy! champion and host
Ken Jennings, and now hosted by
Brooke Burns, who hosted the GSN version of
The Chase. DirecTV's stake in Game Show Network would move to
AT&T when it acquired the service in 2015. On November 18, 2019, it was announced that Sony had acquired AT&T's 42% stake and thus resumed full ownership of GSN. A list of 2020
Nielsen ratings published by
Variety indicated that Game Show Network averaged 432,000 viewers in prime time, up 6% from the 2019 average. In December 2021, Mark Feldman resigned after four years as Game Show Network president, to join the video game firm
Scopely amid the gaming unit sale from Sony. He was succeeded by longtime executive John Zaccario. On September 7, 2022,
Dish Network and
Sling TV removed Game Show Network from their lineups, after failing to reach a renewal agreement with owner Sony Pictures Television. The network returned to both services on September 27, 2022. ==Programming==