Published December 4, 2006
|
Viacom Planning One-Hour Special
On World Series Of Video Games |
A 60-minute special on the World Series of Video Games is set to appear as part
of the CBS Sports Spectacular on December 30, marking the “first time that professional
video gaming will be broadcast as a sport on network television,” according to
Noah Robischon of the N.Y. TIMES. The special, called “They Got Game: The Stars
of the World Series of Video Games Presented by Intel,” will be shown across several
Viacom outlets, including MTV and CSTV. Games Media Properties President & co-Founder
Matthew Ringel, whose company created the event, said, “We’re planting our flag
in the ground that this needs to be treated as sports television.” Robischon notes
CBS will “only show snippets of actual competitive game play” during the special,
as “gory content in the games ... is considered inappropriate for the Saturday
afternoon timeslot.” Juma Entertainment President Robert Horowitz, whose company
produced the special for CBS, said, “The one hurdle that was a challenge, and
is still a challenge for video gaming is you can’t put people shooting at one
another on network television” (
N.Y.
TIMES, 12/4).
