GameTV’s new reality show, “Game of Crowns.”
With a schedule built around competition-based series that follow restaurant openings, pageant wives and fashionistas, GameTV’s new fall lineup is proof that the human appetite for competition knows no boundaries.
The new schedule coincides with a refreshed on-air look for the independent channel, which debuted in 2005 as Casino & Gaming Television before being rebranded as GameTV in 2007.
The service was first re-launched in 2012 with a new logo, while the most recent brand refresh includes a new tagline (“Playful when you are”), animated logos, station IDs and a series of revamped promos. The network is also running a TV campaign using U.S. ad avails, said programming director Ana Rodrigues.
Unveiled last week, GameTV’s new schedule features several first-run shows including Game of Crowns (a Bravo U.S. series following beauty pageant wives that is new to Canada) and the U.K. version of The Face, which pits aspiring models in a competition to become the face of cosmetics brand Max Factor.
The network also continues to air classic game shows such as the Monty Hall-hosted 1980s series Split Second from 6 to 7:30 p.m., followed by nightly episodes of Celebrity Name Game starring Craig Ferguson.Other shows on the schedule include Minute To Win It and Fear Factor.
Current and classic game shows comprise an estimated 30% of GameTV’s content, with the rest of its schedule filled with competition-based reality series and Hollywood movies. The network has a library of approximately 120 movie titles ranging in vintage from the 1980s and 1990s up to 2010 and 2011.
While many broadcasters have abandoned prime time movies in recent years, Rodrigues said they remain a key draw for GameTV’s mostly female audience.
“I totally can see the concern,” she said. “I have the same concern in that there are a lot of channels airing movies…but to be able to watch the movies that we have on a channel you don’t have to pay for is definitely a value proposition for the viewer.”
GameTV’s network primary audience is adults 25-54, skewing up to 60% female depending on the program. Its average minute audience has been rising for the past three years, said Rodriguez, reaching between 20,000 and 22,000 people 2+ in prime time.
“We’re not a major [specialty network] and haven’t been around for 20 years like [other networks] have, but I think our viewership speaks for itself,” said Rodrigues. “If there was a decrease I would be very worried.”
GameTV’s revenues were $1.24 million in 2013 according to CRTC documents, up from just over $877,000 in 2012.
