LIONSGATE’S DEBMAR-MERCURY TO OFFER ONE OF GAME SHOW NETWORK’S LEADING ORIGINAL GAME SHOWS, THE LEAH REMINI-HOSTED ‘PEOPLE PUZZLER,’ TO BROADCAST STATIONS FOR FALL 2023
Pop Culture Game Show from Game Show Enterprises, Start Entertainment & Dotdash Meredith is Now in its Third Season and based on Iconic Crossword Puzzles in PEOPLE
Los Angeles and New York, December 2, 2022 – Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury will offer Game Show Network’s PEOPLE PUZZLER, hosted by actress, best-selling author, producer and television personality Leah Remini, to broadcast stations for fall 2023.
Debmar-Mercury is distributing 325 episodes of the popular game show combining pop culture with fun facts as a back-to-back Monday-Friday strip. It will be sold on an all-barter basis, with the syndicator splitting the national advertising time with stations. PEOPLE PUZZLER, which returned for a third season in August, has been a strong performer for Game Show Network and serves as one of its top-rated original game shows. It is produced by Game Show Enterprises, Start Entertainment and PEOPLE’s parent company, Dotdash Meredith, the largest digital and print publisher in America.
Based on the iconic crossword puzzles in PEOPLE, the country’s No. 1 multiplatform magazine brand with an audience footprint of 127 million, PEOPLE PUZZLER pits three contestants in a three-round battle requiring them to put their pop culture knowledge to the test. The contestant with the most points then moves into the “Fast Puzzle Bonus Round,” where they have the opportunity to win a cash prize.
Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein commented, “The biggest ingredients needed for success in television today are high brand awareness and proven talent. With PEOPLE and Leah Remini, whose audience favorability ratings are through the roof, we have an abundance of both. We believe PEOPLE PUZZLER’s proven ad-friendly format, strong household and adult 25-54 demo performance will attract an entirely new audience to broadcast, while giving stations a tested alternative to pair with originals in this dominant syndication programming genre.”
“Game Show Enterprises makes game shows that lead the industry in quality and volume. There is a strong appetite among TV stations for gameshows and we are happy that PEOPLE PUZZLER will help meet that demand,” added John Zaccario, president, GSN.
Remini, a two-time Emmy Award® winner and Daytime Emmy nominee for Outstanding Game Show Host, is most recognized for her portrayal as Carrie Heffernan on the long-running CBS comedy The King of Queens. She also created, produced and hosted the critically acclaimed documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and most recently appeared as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. She is an executive producer of PEOPLE PUZZLER, a production of Game Show Enterprises, with executive producer Rane Laymance, along with Scott St. John and Neal Konstantini for Start Entertainment and Rachel Feinberg for Dotdash Meredith.
About Debmar-Mercury:
Debmar-Mercury produces and distributes Sherri, the new, nationally syndicated daily talk show hosted by actress, comedian, best-selling author and TV personality Sherri Shepherd and distributes the Fremantle-produced game show hit Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey. Additionally, Debmar-Mercury produces and distributes the Daytime Emmy-nominated viral sensation, Caught In Providence, as well as the 10/90 sitcoms it pioneered including Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and spinoff Meet the Browns; Revolution/CubeVision’s Are We There Yet? (starring Ice Cube); and the Debmar-Mercury/Lionsgate Television comedy Anger Management (starring Charlie Sheen).
Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), encompassing world-class motion picture and television studio operations aligned with the STARZ premium global subscription platform. They bring a unique and varied portfolio of entertainment to consumers around the world.
About GSN
GSN includes Game Show Network LLC (“Game Show Network”), the leader in game show entertainment across multimedia, which presents original and classic game programming and competitive entertainment via its cable network, GameShowNetwork.com and Game Show Enterprises, the production arm of the network, develops and produces hundreds of hours of original episodes, making Game Show Network the premiere destination for fun, family-friendly programming. Game Show Network is distributed throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Canada by all major cable operators, satellite providers and telcos. Additionally, GSN encompasses getTV, Sony Movies, Sony Cine and the distribution of FAST channels such as Game Show Central, CINEVAULT Westerns, CINEVAULT 80s, CINEVAULT Murder & Mayhem and CINEVAULT Classics. GSN is owned Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
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