Now the good news for our little game show network is starting to seep into the mainstream showbiz media. This story from Hollywood Reporter lauds the jumps in prime time and total day audiences that GSN has seen since the virus lockdowns came down hard...
Game console use is up considerably since early March - and so is viewing of game shows via Game Show Network. GSN, which airs a mix of original and classic shows, has seen its total-day audience grow by 87,000 viewers - a jump of 30 percent - since March 16, compared to its first-quarter average. Prime time is up by 127,000 viewers, a 34 percent gain. GSN is in about 64 million homes.
Not often does a cable network increase its audience by thirty-plus percent. Cord cutting has taken a large toll on most linear cable channels. But with virus news grabbing so much of TV viewers' headspace, it's not surprising that GSN's escapist fare has found a warm reception in many of those 64 million households. (By the way, GSN is not immune to cord cutting, as the network once boasted of nearly 75 million households. But the viewer totals show that GSN has withstood the storm much better than many of its cable competitors.)
The question, of course, is whether GSN can hold on to these gains when the lockdowns finally start to break down. With the country chafing under the quarantines and with early tentative efforts to ease a few of the restrictions, it's likely that some of the viewership gains will erode. In the meantime, though, fun and games have never seemed more attractive.
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