Business & Money | Monday 2 March, 2015 2:54 pm |

OSN will join a colossal Guinness World Record attempt to celebrate 15 years of the spectacular CSI franchise by broadcasting the CSI Season 14 Episode 21 on March 5, 2015 (12:00 GMT / 03:00 KSA), scheduled to air in more than 150 countries worldwide simultaneously.

CBS has declared Wednesday, March 4 ‘Word CSI Day’, and along with OSN and countless TV broadcasters they will embark on a global effort for CSI to break the Guinness World Records achievement for the “Largest Ever TV Drama Simulcast.” This simulcast by OSN reinforces its ‘See it First’ proposition with yet another ‘same time as U.S’ telecast.

The global event will feature a worldwide simulcast of the CSI episode “Kitty”, which saw the introduction of the Cyber Crime Division and Special Agent Avery Ryan played by Academy award winner Patricia Arquette. The episode features her heading FBI’s Cyber Crime Division, a unit at the forefront of solving illegal activities that start in the mind, live online, and play out in the real world. The episode will air at 03:00 KSA, March 5, 2015, exclusively on OSN First HD.

Khulud Abu Homos, OSN’s Executive Vice President for programming said: “We are excited to be part of such a remarkable global phenomenon. By committing to bringing our viewers the latest content, they will now be able to join in on the record attempt by watching the episode along with the hundreds of thousands of viewers across the world. Viewers can look forward to the brand new season of CSI this July and also the new show, ‘CSI: Cyber’ which will premiere exclusively on OSN First HD in Oct 2015”.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered in the fall of 2000 with big ratings, ground-breaking production values and a storytelling form that influenced a generation of crime dramas. The series ranked as television’s #1 drama for seven seasons and became a global phenomenon, earning the title of the “most-watched show in the world” on six separate occasions, most recently in 2012. CSI has also developed into a major franchise for CBS, spanning three television spin-offs, books, video games and “CSI: The Experience,” an interactive educational exhibit about forensic science that travels around the world. 

“When CSI premiered, I had no idea it would become the sensational global franchise it is today,” said Anthony Zuiker, creator of the CSI franchise.

“The CSI franchise has been a centre piece of television schedules around the world for the past 15 years,” said Armando Nuñez, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We are thrilled to celebrate this anniversary through a global simulcast event, supported by the licensees who have made the original series such a powerful brand in their markets.”