Syfy's GHOST HUNTERS Season 9 Premieres Tonight

GHOST HUNTERS, Syfy's longest-running original reality series, returns for a ninth season this winter. Sixteen all-new Season 9 episodes are slated to premiere beginning tonight, January 16, 2013 at 9 PM ET/PT.

"Ghost Hunters has proven itself to be an enormously popular paranormal series that continues to evolve successfully with each new season," said Mark Stern, President Original Content, Syfy and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. "While the Ghost Hunters mission of helping those in need remains at the heart of each investigation, we're thrilled by the increased scope of the cases being undertaken and the series' revitalized Style and energy, all of which contribute to making Ghost Hunters an even more vibrant, visually stimulating and exciting experience going into its ninth season."

In Season 9, fans can look forward to seeing the TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) team's latest innovations in ghost hunting equipment and techniques, as they use more technology than ever before to capture evidence of paranormal activity. TAPS - led by Jason Hawes - will investigate new, high-profile locations across the country, while continuing its mission of helping families in need of assistance from the Ghost Hunters.

Since its Season 8 mid-season premiere on September 5, Ghost Hunters has averaged 1 million viewers in Adults 18-49, 1.3 million viewers in Adults 25-54 and 2.2 million total viewers (all data Live +7). The midseason premiere was also the paranormal series' most-watched premiere since August 2010.

Season 8 continues through December 5, wrapping up with a special holiday investigation at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut.

Since its 2004 premiere, Ghost Hunters has spawned two spin-offs with over 200 episodes among the three series, cementing its place as the No. 1 paranormal franchise on cable. For more than eight years, Ghost Hunters has set the standard for paranormal series, offering viewers spine-tingling investigations by the TAPS team.

Ghost Hunters is produced for Syfy by Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Studios (Dirty Jobs, The Ultimate Fighter, Top Shot). Piligian and Thomas Thayer, along with Mike Nichols and Alan David, serve as executive producers.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)