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USA Network
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| USA Network | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | September 27, 1977 |
| Owned by | NBC Universal, Inc. |
| Slogan | "Characters welcome." |
| Headquarters |  New York City |
| Formerly called | Madison Square Garden Network (1977-1980) |
| Website | Official Website |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 242 |
| Dish Network | Channel 105 |
| C band | Galaxy 14-Channel 19 |
| Cable | |
| Available on most cable systems | Check Local Listings for channels |
USA Network is a popular American cable television network with about 89 million household subscribers as of 2005. The network shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited movies.
Alan Kalter was the network's main promotional voice throughout the 1980s and much of the 1990s.
Contents |
USA Network premiered on September 27, 1977, originally organized as the Madison Square Garden Network (not to be confused with the New York City regional sports network of that name), the channel became one of the first national television channels when it chose to use satellite delivery as opposed to microwave relay to cable systems.
In April 1980, The channel changed its name to USA Network after the ownership structure was reorganized under a joint operating agreement by the UA-Columbia Cablevision cable system (now known as Cablevision Systems Corporation ) and MCA Inc. (whose assets are currently owned largely by NBC Universal and Vivendi SA).
On September 24, 1992, USA launched a sister network, the Sci Fi Channel.
At one point, USA shared channel time/space with two upstart cable nets, C-SPAN and Black Entertainment Television; both these services would be listed in TV Guide under "USA", with a disclaimer that the program is a presentation of either BET or C-SPAN. Later, it simulcast Bloomberg TV in the early-morning hours, which moved to E! in 2004. In 1995 and 1996, USA aired USA Live, a three-hour programming block in afternoons, featuring two classic Judge Wapner episodes of The People's Court and two episodes of Love Connection. During the shows' commercial breaks, a live host (Kathleen Murphy and Jim O'Connor) would interact with an audience on the set of a fake New York City coffee shop about the shows they were watching and ask their opinions of the content. A regular guest analyst during The People's Court segments was former NYC Mayor Ed Koch. His appearances inspired the 1997 revival of The People's Court, on which he initially presided as judge.
In 2000, USA Networks bought Canada's North American Television, Inc. (a joint partnership between the CBC and Power Corporation), owner of cable TV channels Trio and Newsworld International. (The CBC continued to program NWI until 2005, when it sold the channel to a group lead by Al Gore, who relaunced it as Current TV)
In 2001, USA Networks sold its non-shopping TV and film assets (including the USA Network, the Sci Fi Channel, the Trio channel, USA Films (which is rechristened as Focus Features) and Studios USA) to Vivendi Universal. USA and the other channels are folded into Vivendi's Universal Television Group.
In 2003, General Electric's NBC agreed to buy 80% of Vivendi Universal's North American-based filmed entertainment assets, including Universal Pictures and Universal Television Group in a multibillion dollar purchase, renaming the merged company NBC Universal.
In 2004, NBC Universal officially took over as owner of USA and its sibling cable channels (except for Newsworld International as stated above).
A high definition version of the channel launched on October 3, 2007.[1] It is currently available on DirecTV and several other cable systems.[2]
USA also shows some sports coverage, such as select golf tournaments, the U.S. Open (tennis), and annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Since 2004, they have broadcast portions of the Olympic Games, along with many other NBC Universal basic cable channels. Previously, it had a weekly boxing show named USA Tuesday Night Fights, which ran for 17 years. USA was also the home of World Wrestling Entertainment (then called the World Wrestling Federation or WWF)'s flagship cable TV shows from the channel's launch until September 2000, and currently since October 2005.
Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily been gaining popularity recently, thanks in part to breakout hits like the detective series Monk, Psych (a series about a fake psychic who helps solve crimes), the spy drama Burn Notice, the return of WWE RAW, the sci-fi mini-series turned regular series The 4400, and the psychic series based on the novel by Stephen King, The Dead Zone. Reruns of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent are also frequently shown and are popular on the network, as is the Fox Broadcasting Company property, House.
NBC Universal announced before NBC released their 2007-08 fall schedule on May 13, 2007 that Criminal Intent would be renewed for a seventh season. However, the new episodes of the series would premiere on USA beginning in fall 2007, with episodes repeating later in the season on NBC, most likely to shore up any programming holes created by a failed series. Although this is not the first time a broadcast series has moved to cable (As early as 1987, NBC's revival of Alfred Hitchcock Presents moved to USA Network), it is a first in that a series which moved to cable will continue to show episodes on a broadcast network during its first-run era [3]. On December 7, 2007, it was announced that USA Network would continue broadcasting first-run episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw until 2010.[4]
- Burn Notice
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Original episodes as of October, 2007
- Monk
- Psych
- WWE Raw
- 1980-1989: It's a Great Place to Stay
- 1989-1994: America's Favorite Cable Network
- 1994-1997: The Remote Stops Here
- 1997-2000: The Cure for the Common Show
- 2000-2005: You Are Here
- 2005-present: Characters Welcome
- The slogan incorporates the use of television spots featuring USA original characters interacting with each other or the world (with humorous effect)
Other countries (such as Brazil and Latin America) have their own USA Network versions, but in 2003, most were renamed "Universal Channel", presumably to avoid nationalistic connotations (note that USA's logo at the time was an American flag-esque symbol, accentuating nationalism).
In February 2007, Shaw Communications submitted an application to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), to bring the USA Network to Canada. However, because of programming rights issues in Canada, certain programs would be subjected to blackout, including WWE Raw.[6] In September 2007, The commission refused Shaw Communications request to carry USA Network into Canada because it had too much programming that overlapped with Mystery TV Canada. Mystery TV is an English language digital cable specialty channel that is owned by CanWest MediaWorks Inc. and Groupe TVA.[7]
- ^ http://www.tvpredictions.com/dsix100307.htm
- ^ Frequently Asked Questions. retrieved 9 October 2007.
- ^ http://nbcumv.com/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20070513000000-allthree034law.html
- ^ Weprin, Alex. USA Extends WWE Monday Night Raw Deal. Broadcasting & Cable: December 7, 2007.
- ^ http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2007/11/day-23-wgas-strike-usa-network-acquires.html
- ^ http://www.channelcanada.com/Article1744.html
- ^ http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/2000/206/