'Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal' Delivers Record Ratings for Game Show Network

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Game Show Network's first
 documentary, BIG BUCKS: THE PRESS YOUR LUCK SCANDAL delivered the network's
 highest ratings in its eight-year history, recording an average 1.5 household
 rating for its Sunday night two-hour premiere on March 16 from 9:00-11:00 PM
 ET/6:00-8:00 PM PT.  The show's household viewership peaked at the 10 PM hour
 recording an unprecedented 1.8 rating -- the network's highest rating ever.
     Additionally, with this performance, BIG BUCKS: THE PRESS YOUR LUCK
 SCANDAL more than doubled the network's season-to-date household ratings
 average (0.7 vs. 1.5) for the two-hour Sunday night time period.
     The documentary also captured record demographic ratings for this same
 two-hour time period among Persons 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.  In each category,
 the show garnered a 0.9 average rating.
     The popular documentary which chronicled the story of "Press Your Luck's"
 highest money winner Michael Larson, registered the network's highest ratings
 ever at the 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT hour across the board.  In household
 ratings, BIG BUCKS grew each half-hour from a 1.1 at 9 PM; a 1.4 at 9:30 PM; a
 1.8 at 10 PM and maintained the network's highest household rating ever, a 1.8
 at 10:30 PM.
     Among Persons 18-34, BIG BUCKS increased from a 0.5 at 9 PM to 0.9 at 9:30
 PM, 1.1 at 10 PM and remained solid with a 1.1 at 10:30 PM.  Among Persons
 18-49, BIG BUCKS grew from 0.6 at 9 PM to 0.8 at 9:30 PM, 1.1 at 10 PM and
 maintained its audience with a 1.1. at 10:30 PM.  Among Persons 25-54, the
 documentary scored a 0.6 at 9 PM, 0.8 at 9:30 PM, 1.1 at 10 PM and grew in its
 final half hour to a 1.2 rating.
     "We are thrilled that our first documentary generated the highest ratings
 in Game Show Network history and that it was one of the most popular cable
 programs of the night.  This spectacular viewership validates our strategy to
 create game related programming that builds on our slate of original
 interactive game shows," said Rich Cronin, President and Chief Executive
 Officer, Game Show Network.
     Michael Larson was an unemployed ice-cream truck driver from Ohio who in
 1984 made television history when he took CBS by storm, winning more than
 $110,00 on the popular game show "Press Your Luck" by memorizing the
 electronic sequences on the show's "big board."  BIG BUCKS: THE PRESS YOUR
 LUCK SCANDAL will be re-broadcast on Sunday, March 23 at 9:00 PM ET/6 PM PT;
 Wed., March 26 at Noon ET/9:00 AM PT and Friday, March 28 at Noon ET/9:00 AM
 PT.
 
     Game Show Network (GSN) is the only U.S. television network dedicated to
 game programming and interactive game playing.  As the industry leader in
 interactivity, GSN features more than 84 hours per week of interactive
 original programming and enhanced classics.  This interactivity allows viewers
 to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via
 gameshownetwork.com .  Reaching approximately 50 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.
 
 

SOURCE  Game Show Network