Company type | Joint venture |
---|---|
Industry | Media |
Predecessor | Circle (broadcast operations) |
Founded | November 7, 2023 |
Founder | Jonathan Katz |
Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia , United States |
Key people | Jonathan Katz (President/CEO) David Decker (President, Content Sales, Warner Bros. Discovery) Jim Packer (President of Worldwide Television Distribution, Lionsgate) Pat LaPlatney (President/Co-CEO, Gray Television) |
Products | Television networks |
Brands |
|
Owners | |
Website | freetvnetworks |
Free TV Networks is an American specialized digital multicasting and advertising-supported video on demand network media company owned as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Discovery, Lionsgate and Gray Television. The company owns and operates two broadcast television networks and plans to launch four FAST streaming networks that each carry programming with specified formats targeted at individual demographics. The company was founded and is led by broadcasting veteran Jonathan Katz, who previously launched what is now the Scripps Networks division of competitor E. W. Scripps Company.
The venture launched with two digital multicast television networks on January 1, 2024, each resembling networks Katz originally launched, which are The365, a channel for Black audiences (similar to Bounce TV) and Outlaw, a network for Western programming (similar to Grit). [1] The venture launched its third broadcast network, Defy, on July 1, 2024 in partnership with A&E Networks, which features action and male-targeted reality programming from A&E Network's library; Scripps's Defy TV (which previously carried said library) ended operations the day before with the move of that programming library to Defy and was replaced by Ion Plus. [2] [3] Other channels to launch at a later time on AVOD platforms include FAST streaming versions of the former two networks as well as VCR Action (similar to Ion Mystery), a channel for older action/crime programming, and VCR Haha, a network for older comedic programming (similar to Laff). [4]
Ion Television is an American broadcast television network and FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented entertainment programming. It rebranded as i: Independent Television on July 1, 2005, converting into a general entertainment network featuring recent and older acquired programs. The network adopted its identity as Ion Television on January 29, 2007.
KPXD-TV is a television station licensed to Arlington, Texas, United States, serving as the Ion Television outlet for the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has offices on Six Flags Drive in Arlington, and its transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas.
WZRB is a television station in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, airing programming from the Ion Television network. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains transmitter facilities on Cushman Drive on the northeast side of Columbia.
WNPX-TV is a television station licensed to Franklin, Tennessee, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Nashville area. It is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company alongside CBS affiliate WTVF. WNPX-TV's transmitter is located near Cross Plains, Tennessee.
Qubo was an American television network for children between the ages of 5 and 14. Owned by Ion Media, it consisted of a 24-hour free-to-air television network often mentioned as the "Qubo channel", associated website with games and programs available through video on demand, and a weekly programming block on Ion Television, along with Ion Life, later known as Ion Plus.
KPXL-TV is a television station licensed to Uvalde, Texas, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the San Antonio area. Owned by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, KPXL-TV maintains transmitter facilities off Highway 173/RM Road 689 on the Medina–Bandera county line.
WPXR-TV is a television station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Roanoke–Lynchburg market. The station is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains a transmitter atop Poor Mountain in unincorporated southwestern Roanoke County.
KMCC, branded Vegas 34, is an independent television station licensed to Laughlin, Nevada, United States, serving the Las Vegas area. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside ABC affiliate KTNV-TV. The two stations share studios on South Valley View Boulevard in the nearby unincorporated community of Paradise. KMCC uses a distributed transmission system, with the main transmitter located near Dolan Springs, Arizona, and a secondary transmitter at the KTNV studios.
Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former pay-television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news coverage of prominent criminal cases. In 2008, the original cable channel became TruTV.
Bounce TV is an American digital broadcast television network owned by Scripps Networks, a subsidiary of E. W. Scripps Company. It launched on September 26, 2011, and was promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created to target African Americans". Bounce features a mix of original and acquired programming geared toward African Americans between 25 and 54 years of age.
Ion Plus is an American broadcast television network and FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network originally launched in 2007 as Ion Life, maintaining a format featuring lifestyle programming focused on health and wellness, cooking, home decor, and travel. With expanded cable carriage, in 2019, Ion Media converted the network into a general entertainment format that matched that of parent network Ion Television, featuring day-long marathons of various drama series.
Grit is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network features classic westerns, both TV series and films.
Ion Mystery is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. It focuses primarily on mystery, true crime, and police/legal procedural programs.
Laff is an American digital multicast television network headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and is owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network specializes in comedy programming, featuring mainly sitcoms from the 1990s through the 2020s.
Scripps Networks, LLC, formerly known as Katz Broadcasting, is an American specialized digital multicasting network media company and a division of the E. W. Scripps Company. The company owns eight broadcast television networks, nine FAST streaming networks and a streaming service that each carry programming with specified formats targeted at individual demographics.
Defy is an American digital multicast television network owned by Free TV Networks in partnership with A&E Networks, airing primarily reality shows from the latter company, having launched on July 1, 2021, with broadcast coverage of 64% of the United States.
TrueReal was an American digital multicast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, targeting women aged 25–54.
Warner Bros. Discovery Networks, formerly known as Turner EntertainmentNetworks, is an American mass media division of Warner Bros. Discovery that oversees the operations of many of its television channels and assets owned and operated in the United States. Its related international division is Warner Bros. Discovery International.