GSN Digital, GSN ratings

Some notes about the world-needs-more-winners channel...

A site called xconomy.com is running an interesting story about GSN's online operations. The piece starts with a dismal reminder of game show demographics but rapidly turns more positive. Seems that GSN is reaping close to $100 million in annual online revenue. Well, that's what they say.

Funniest quote from the story: "GSN Digital initially focused on using its destination gaming website, GSN.com, as a way to drive interest in the television network, but the site has recently become a strong profit source on its own." No kidding. That little cable network thingie seems like an afterthought on GSN.com nowadays.

A related item tells how GSN is climbing up the Facebook ladder with its online games at the site. What does all this mean for the cable network? Probably some more money to play with. I'm starting to understand how they could afford Drew Carey.

TV by the Numbers has posted four top-25 lists of 2010 vs. 2009 cable network gainers and losers in prime time and total day. Somehow, GSN didn't make any of the lists, which is actually pretty remarkable.

What this means in real numbers is that, on average from 2009 to 2010, GSN didn't gain more than 25K viewers in prime time or lose more than 14K. The range for total day was even narrower: between an 18K gain and a 4K loss.

I would ask the guys at TVBTN about GSN but they're already getting a bunch of requests. They won't publish full lists because, as one of them says, Nielsen would get upset. Really, it makes little difference. GSN's averages were essentially unchanged from 2009 to 2010.

Which makes sense as I look back. GSN caught a huge winner in 2009 with Deal or No Deal. Howie blew the Nielsen doors off and basically took over the network.

In 2010 DOND started to fade under the relentless pounding, and GSN's originals crashed and burned in the first half of the year. But then Jerry and Sherri and Karn and O'Hurley picked up the slack, and Douglas' numbers at Mediaweek indicate that GSN went out of 2010 on a pretty decent roll. If I had to guess, I'd say Drew will make 2011 an overall better year for GSN, but we'll see.