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Ex-MTV boss targets games TV

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Ex-MTV boss targets games TV

Peter Einstein launches new games-focused show Game Face on Bravo

The former president of MTV Europe is looking to turn his company into a games equivalent of the music channel – as it launches a games-focused new show.

Game Face kicked off on Bravo last weekend. The show was created by Ginx TV, which was founded by former MTV boss Peter Einstein.

Game Face includes reviews and is presented by Julia Hardy. The show is broadcast in various prime time slots on Bravo’s channels, and followed international weekly review show The Ginx Files.

“I believe that the viewing figures for Game Face will build over time as gamers find the show and look forward to connecting with us each week to enjoy what’s going on in their gaming world,” Einstein told MCV.

As well as working with partners such as Bravo, Ginx TV describes itself as being ‘the first international 24/7 TV channel that turns video gaming into mainstream entertainment TV’.

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Added Einstein: “There could be multiple reasons that games TV shows have failed in the past – which could even be linked to management, cost overruns, not just necessarily the channel format.

“From what we’ve seen in the past a lot of the focus has been more outside of the games, with presenter reviews, stats, interviews with creators and only a bit about the games themselves – as one assumed that you only ‘play’ games you can’t ‘watch’ them.

“By taking the rich production values of many games today, using the story line or game objective, Ginx creates a TV production from a TV viewers point of view. We feel this concept provides a fun, entertaining TV event which is appealing mostly to the casual gamer.”

Hang on...

posted by beemoh Aug 07, 2009 at 4:58 pm
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beemoh

"“From what we’ve seen in the past a lot of the focus has been more outside of the games, with presenter reviews, stats, interviews with creators and only a bit about the games themselves – as one assumed that you only ‘play’ games you can’t ‘watch’ them."

Which is funny, because didn't MTV find its success by going the other way? Concentrating on people in and on the peripheries of the music biz, interviews, public figure/celeb stuff like Cribs, music culture-centric programming like Pimp My Ride and less about playing music videos and performances?

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Worse than Gamezville

posted by Guru Larry Aug 07, 2009 at 7:33 pm
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Guru Larry

Game Face is quite possibly the worst gaming TV show I have ever seen in my life, I seriously never thought any show could ever be worse than Gamezville, but by golly, Ginx have managed to set a new benchmark.

You phone in a premium rate number to vote which six month old pre-recorded title you want them to suck up to, sorry "review".

They proudly boast that they're attracting the "casual gamer" who wouldn't normally watch a gaming show. when will these people learn that trying to appeal to people who don't like games won't ever work??? It alienates the hardcore (the people they SHOULD be targeting) and patronises the rest. If you don't like games, why the heck are you going to watch a show about them???

And yes I know what I'm talking about, I've worked for two other gaming channels in the UK in the past all have crumbled because of stupid decisions like this.

FUN FACT: They're giving Bravo this show for free.

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