
However, it soon became one of the most sought-after channels among cable operators. Upon launch, Nick GAS reached less than a million of the 70 million-plus cable and satellite subscribers in the U.S. Olympic skater Tara Lipinski joined the new network as a special host and sports correspondent.

The channel had been in development for months as Nickelodeon conducted research among children to determine their sports-related interests. Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids (or Nickelodeon GAS) was announced on November 3, 1998. Summer Sanders was named on-air Commissioner of the network Dave Aizer (1999–2003) and Vivianne Collins (1999–2003) were the network's original on-air hosts, with Mati Moralejo (2001–05) joining soon after and later on Nadine (2004) and George (2004) separately during commercials. The VP/General Manager of the network was Nickelodeon executive Mark Offitzer, producer of numerous Nick specials including the Kids Choice Awards. With its focus on classic Nickelodeon game shows (most of which had been removed from the parent network between 1999–2002), Nick GAS was essentially a children's version of (and Viacom's answer to) Game Show Network, which launched on December 1, 1994. The channel was available to all digital cable providers and satellite provider Dish Network. Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids (stylized as Nick GaS and commonly known as Nick GAS) was an American cable television network that was part of MTV Networks' suite of digital cable channels.

