Online future

A few months ago I thought GSN was betting the house on online gaming. The network wasn't developing any new game shows and seemed to be using the cable TV operation as an aging cash cow. But that was before American Bible Challenge and Steve Harvey's Family Feud starting blowing the Nielsen doors off.

Now I'm not so sure. GSN president David Goldhill and friends may figure there's a little life left in those doddering old TV game shows. But it was still interesting to read about GSN hiring former Zygna exec Jeff Karp for its online gaming operations.

GSN has actually seen declines in its Facebook game traffic, though Karp points out that lots of other online developers have the same problem. At least Karp realizes that game show brands give GSN a natural niche online. He even mentions Wheel of Fortune.

I really can't blame GSN for using the online operations to hedge its bets on the cable network. Online is growing, cable TV is stagnant. And how often will lightning strike with numbers like the Bible quizzer has generated?