Science Channel (often simply branded as Science; abbreviated to SCI) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. [1] The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering, manufacturing, technology, space, space exploration, ufology and prehistory.
As of November 2023 [update] , Science Channel is available to approximately 34,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2013 peak of 78,000,000 households. Along with American Heroes Channel, Boomerang, Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, and Discovery Life, Science Channel is among the less prevalent networks of Warner Bros. Discovery. [2]
In recent years, Science Channel has lost carriage with the growth of streaming alternatives including its parent company's Max, and has generally been depreciated by Warner Bros. Discovery in current retransmission consent negotiations with cable and streaming providers.
In November 1994, Discovery Networks announced plans for four digital channels set to launch in 1996. Discovery originally named the network under the working title Quark!; [3] this was changed before its launch to the Discovery Science Network. Discovery Science launched in October 1996 as part of the simultaneous rollout of the new channel suite (alongside Discovery Home & Leisure, Discovery Kids and Discovery Civilization). [4] In 2007, adult shows began airing around the clock weekdays, while younger children shows began airing around the clock weeknights.
The channel has undergone various rebrandings throughout its history. Its name was first modified to the Discovery Science Channel in 1998, and then was renamed The Science Channel in 2002, as the first network in the Discovery Networks digital suite to drop the "Discovery" brand from its name (however, international versions of the channel continue to use the "Discovery Science" name). The channel later shortened its name to just Science Channel in 2007 as part of a rebrand that included the introduction of a new logo based on the periodic table; in 2011, the network rebranded as simply Science, introducing a new logo and graphics package designed by Imaginary Forces. [5] In 2008, the channel changed its programming to adult-oriented, and removing all shows for elementary children. [6]
On December 23, 2016, Discovery Communications debuted a new logo for Science after five years. This rebrand was done by Sibling Rivalry, a New York–based design agency.
The channel launched a high-definition simulcast feed that broadcasts in 1080i; it was launched on September 1, 2009, along with Discovery Channel HD, TLC HD and Animal Planet HD.
Science Channel broadcasts a number of science-related television series originally produced by or aired on Discovery Channel, such as Beyond Tomorrow, among others. Discovery Communications has also produced a few programs specifically for Science, such as MegaScience and What The Ancients Knew. Programs from other Discovery Networks channels, PBS and the BBC are either regularly or occasionally aired on the network. Television series produced in the 1990s, such as Discover Magazine and Understanding, are carried on the network's weekday schedule. The Science Channel also broadcasts programs such as Moments of Impact and An Idiot Abroad. The channel has infrequently added reruns of several science fiction series like Firefly, Helix and Fringe to its schedule.
There are international versions of Science in Southeast Asia, Europe, France, United Kingdom, Italy, India, Sweden, Turkey, Canada, Latin America and Australia. The channels are branded Discovery Science and do not broadcast all of the same shows as the US channel.
Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. As of June 2012, Discovery Channel was the third most widely distributed subscription channel in the United States, behind now-sibling channel TBS and The Weather Channel; it is available in 409 million households worldwide, through its U.S. flagship channel and its various owned or licensed television channels internationally.
TNT is an American basic cable television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery that launched on October 3, 1988. TNT's original purpose was to air classic films and television series to which Turner Broadcasting maintained spillover rights through its sister station TBS. Since June 2001, the network has shifted its focus to dramatic television series and feature films, along with some sporting events, as TBS shifted its focus to comedic programming.
The WB Television Network was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. Entertainment division of Time Warner and the Tribune Broadcasting subsidiary of the Tribune Company, with the former acting as controlling partner. The network aired programs targeting teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13 and 35, while its children's division, Kids' WB, targeted children between the ages of 4 and 12.
Animal Planet is an American multinational pay television channel, and associated AnimalPlanet.com website content, owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the channel is primarily devoted to series and documentaries about wild animals and domestic pets.
TruTV is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The channel primarily broadcasts reruns of comedy, docusoaps and reality shows, with a recent strong primetime focus on live sports programming produced by TNT Sports.
Kids' WB was an American children's programming block that originally aired on The WB from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006, and later on The CW from September 23, 2006, to May 17, 2008. Initially launched as a competitor to Fox Kids, Kids' WB aired primarily during the Saturday morning and weekday after-school time slots, although airtimes for the block's programming varied at the local affiliate's discretion.
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable television network. It is owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The channel focuses primarily on pop culture, celebrity based reality shows and movies.
Discovery Channel is a Canadian discretionary specialty television channel majority-owned by CTV Specialty Television, Inc., a joint venture of Bell Media and ESPN Inc. It is headquartered at 9 Channel Nine Court in the Agincourt neighbourhood of Scarborough in Toronto, Ontario.
Animal Planet is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty television channel. Animal Planet broadcasts a variety of programming featuring animals.
DTour is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by TVTropolis G.P., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment.
TVNorge is a Norwegian television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA.
Investigation Discovery, stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008, is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Motor Trend is an American automotive television network owned by Motor Trend Group, a subsidiary of the TNT Sports division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It primarily broadcasts automotive-themed programming, including motorsports events.
Cartoon Network is a Philippine pay television channel operated by Warner Bros. Discovery under its International division, which primarily shows animated programming. The Philippine version is a branch of Cartoon Network Asia and broadcasts exclusively in the Philippines.
Cartoonito is a British pay television channel which targets children between the ages of 3 and 6. It is run by Warner Bros. Discovery under its International division. Unlike Cartoon Network and Boomerang, Cartoonito doesn't have a +1 timeshift in the UK. The channel is available in high definition on Sky Stream and Virgin Media.
Discovery Science is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Discovery Science Canada Company, a channel majority-owned by CTV Specialty Television, Inc., a joint venture of Bell Media and ESPN Inc. It is headquartered at 9 Channel Nine Court in the Agincourt neighbourhood of Scarborough in Toronto, Ontario that is currently airing science-related programming.
Discovery Velocity is a Canadian discretionary specialty channel owned by 2953285 Canada Inc., a joint venture between CTV Specialty Television Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a Canadian version of the U.S. channel formerly of the same name, and broadcasts factual and reality-style series related to automobiles and transportation.
Discovery Kids is a Latin American subscription television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and headquartered in Miami, Florida, which started as a programming block on the Latin American version of Discovery Channel. It launched on 1 November 1996, with programming aimed for older children and preschoolers. It was owned by Discovery Networks Latin America and is one of two Discovery Kids-branded channels that remains airing. The programming is entirely in either Spanish or Portuguese, depending on the region.
Nickelodeon is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel based on the American cable network of the same name owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidairy of Corus Entertainment under a brand licensing agreement with Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global.
Discovery Family is an American cable television channel co-owned by The Cartoon Network, Inc. and Hasbro Entertainment, which are divisions of Warner Bros. Discovery Networks and Hasbro respectively.