Cats Finally Get Their Night in Prime Time!

GSN joins cat lovers from around the world, airing CAT-MINSTER: CFA INTERNATIONAL CAT CHAMPIONSHIP as a two-hour special, it was announced today by Dena Kaplan, Senior Vice President of Marketing for GSN. The special will air next year on Tuesday, March 27 (8:00 - 10:00 PM, ET).

"Every dog has their day, now it's the 'purr-fect' time for cats to get in the limelight. GSN is thrilled to capture the exciting world of top feline breeders putting their pedigreed pets, their pride and passion on the line to win the coveted title 'Best in Show.' We believe that CAT-MINSTER: CFA INTERNATIONAL CAT CHAMPIONSHIP has the legs to be an annual tent pole event on GSN," said Kaplan.

The special covers the largest international pedigreed cat show in the Western Hemisphere, the 19th Annual Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) International Cat Show. Hosts Bob Goen ("That's The Question," "Entertainment Tonight") and Marianne Curan ("Landscapers' Challenge") also delve into the exhibitors' and cats' lives before the big event, showing a rarely seen glimpse of preparation going into the competition. The husband and wife team will guide viewers through the entire process of this prestigious cat show, providing coverage of the feline agility course, a cat race through obstacles, jumps and balance beams, as well as give viewers a peek into the numerous informative exhibitions about specific cat breeds.

"We are excited that GSN will be showcasing the International Cat Show," said Allene Tartaglia, CFA Executive Director. "Our exhibitors work very hard to prepare their cats and themselves to compete for the 'Best in Show' title. The GSN special will spotlight their hard work and introduce the world of pedigreed felines to a new audience."

The CFA International Cat Show, held November 17-19 at the San Mateo County Expo Center in Northern California, showcased more than 800 cats representing 41 breeds from around the world competing for "Best in Show." This year marks the CFA's 100th anniversary.

The televised show will feature highlights from the contest, including the awarding of top honors "Best in Show" and the highest-scoring longhair and shorthair kittens and longhair and shorthair cats in both the Championship and Premiership categories. The special will also feature interviews with owners and show viewers what goes into making a Grand Champion cat.

The special is being produced for GSN by Painless Entertainment, a production company that specializes in animal competitions. Jim Casey and Joe Carolei serve as executive producers.

"After producing successful dog shows for seven years, we stepped onto the cat show floor and instantly recognized that this was an untapped world long overdue for television exposure," said Casey. "You've got beautiful animals, colorful characters and heated competition -- it's the perfect recipe for compelling television."

GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features over 133 hours per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via GSN.com. Now reaching more than 60 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com.

CFA, Celebrating the centennial of its founding in 2006, the Cat Fanciers' Association is the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats with more than 1.5 million registered throughout the world. The CFA, a non-profit association of member clubs, is comprised of more than 650 clubs in North and South America, Europe and Asia. The association's mission is to preserve and promote the pedigreed breeds of cats and to enhance the well being of all cats. For more information, visit http://www.cfa.org.

Painless Productions, a full service production and post-production company, was founded in 1995 by Jim Casey and Joe Carolei. In addition to creating reality-based television projects for FOX, TLC and Travel Channel, Painless currently produces three series for Animal Planet, including the "Eukanuba Tournament of Champions" dog shows and the two-night, live simulcast of "The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship," also airing on The Discovery Channel.

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