TV One (American TV channel)

TV One
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
HeadquartersSilver Spring, Maryland
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture formatHDTV 1080i
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerUrban One[1][2]
Sister channelsCleo TV
History
LaunchedJanuary 19, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-01-19)[3]
Links
Websitetvone.tv

TV One is an American basic cable television channel targeting African American adults. It is owned by Urban One, and headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. Originally launched as a joint venture with Comcast, Urban One would acquire the former's stake in 2015.[4]

As of November 2023, TV One is available to approximately 43,000,000 pay television households in the United States; down from its 2016 peak of 60,000,000 households.[5] The channel is also an associate member of the Caribbean Cable & Telecommunications Association, Inc. (CCTA)[6]

History

[edit]

Launch and early programming

[edit]
Previous TV One logos
TV One logo used from launch in 2004 to August 2012
Used from launch in 2004 to August 2012
TV One logo used from August 2012 to February 2016
Used from August 2012 to February 2016

In January 2003, Radio One and Comcast announced an agreement to a joint venture to create a television network aimed at African Americans aged 25 to 54.[7] TV One would launch on January 19, 2004, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and was positioned as an older-skewing competitor to BET.[8] At the time of its launch, the channel was in approximately 2.2 million homes in 16 markets.[8][9] Initially launched in 2.2 million households, TV One's coverage would increase to 42.2 million homes by the end of 2007.[8]

On July 7, 2008, the channel's president and CEO Johnathan Rodgers announced that TV One would provide extensive coverage of the Democratic National Convention that August.[10]

In 2011, TV One's original co-owner Comcast acquired NBCUniversal, effectively integrating TV One and the other Comcast Entertainment Group channels into NBCUniversal's portfolio. Radio One's ownership stake in TV One would then grow from 36.8% to 50.8%.[11]

Rebrand and programming shift

[edit]

In August 2012, TV One updated its on-air look and logo, as part of a plan to "tell stories about how African-American life unfolds and to distinguish it from a growing number of competitors."[12] By this point, TV One had reached 57.4 million homes.

On July 9, 2013, TV One announced that it would debut its first live one-hour, weekday morning news program that would be hosted by commentator Roland S. Martin.[13] The program, News One Now, premiered on November 4, 2013.[14]

In December 2014, Brad Siegel was hired as president of TV One. Siegel was formerly president of Turner Entertainment Networks, and vice chairman of Up TV, which he co-founded in 2004.[15][16]

In March 2015, Radio One announced a deal to buy out Comcast's 47.9% share of TV One for $550 million.[17]

In February 2016, TV One updated their logo again, along with a new slogan: "Represent."[citation needed]

Programming

[edit]

As of 2024, TV One's current original programming includes true crime shows (such as Fatal Attraction and ATL Homicide), documentaries (including Unsung, the network's longest-running series), scripted films, and award show telecasts.[18] The network previously produced reality shows, talk shows, and sitcoms.

TV One's main programming consists of reruns of popular Black sitcoms from the 1970s through the 2000s.[19]

Cleo TV

[edit]
Cleo TV
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
HeadquartersSilver Spring, Maryland
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Ownership
OwnerUrban One
Sister channelsTV One
History
LaunchedJanuary 19, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-01-19)
Links
Websitehttps://mycleo.tv/

Cleo TV (stylized as CLEOTV) is an American cable television network owned by Urban One targeting young millennial and Generation X African American women. It takes its name from the Ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.

Cleo officially launched on January 19, 2019, after a week-long soft-launch period highlighting its programming offerings. At launch, Comcast Xfinity and Charter Spectrum served as the network's main debut base.[20][21]

Cleo primarily airs original and acquired lifestyle programming. Original shows produced for the channel have included New Soul Kitchen, Lens of Culture, Cleo Speaks, and the Jazz and Jake Smollett-hosted Living by Design.[22][23] Like TV One, Cleo TV also carries syndicated sitcoms, dramas, and Black film telecasts.[24]

See Also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Radio One's Buyout Of Comcast…". www.urbaninsite.com. Urban Insite. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  2. ^ Seyler, Dave. "Radio One Closes on TV One Cable Channel". rbr.com. Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  3. ^ Prince, Richard (January 19, 2004). "TV One Launches, With Adding Markets a Challenge". The Robert C. Maynard Institute. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  4. ^ Bolat, Sarkan. "Marvel". Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023". wrestlenomics.com. May 14, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  6. ^ Staff Writer. "Membership - CCTA Associate Members". Caribbean Cable & Telecommunications Association, Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  7. ^ Seth Schiesel, "Comcast and Radio One in TV Joint Venture", The New York Times, January 13, 2003.
  8. ^ a b c Felicia R. Lee, "A Network for Blacks With Sense of Mission," The New York Times, December 11, 2007.
  9. ^ Rob Owen, "Tuned In: TV One aims to be BET for grown-ups", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 12, 2006.
  10. ^ Balta, Victor (July 9, 2008). "Network Commits to Obama-only Coverage". Comcast.net. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  11. ^ Wayne Barrett, "Al Sharpton's Radio Power Play", The Daily Beast, July 28, 2011.
  12. ^ "TV One Rebrands Around Storytelling". The Hollywood Reporter. June 20, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  13. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 9, 2013). "Roland S. Martin to Host 'News One Now', TV One's First Daily News Program". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013.
  14. ^ "TV One Sets Premiere of "News One Now" with Host and Managing Editor Roland S. Martin, Monday, November 4, 9AM/ET". The Futon Critic (Press release). October 24, 2013.
  15. ^ "Brad Siegel Named TV One President," Deadline Hollywood, December 17, 2014.
  16. ^ Cynthia Littleton, "TV One Taps Cable Vet Brad Siegel as President," Variety, December 17, 2014.
  17. ^ "Radio One Gears Up for TV One Deal", Inside Radio, March 20, 2015.
  18. ^ Featured Shows - TV One
  19. ^ TV ONE - TV Listings Guide; On TV Tonight; retrieved May 26, 2024
  20. ^ Daniels, Karu F. (December 14, 2018). "Television for Colored Girls: CLEO TV Cozies Up to Black Millennial Women". The Root.
  21. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (November 15, 2018). "Comcast Sets TV One's Cleo TV, Afro as Latest Independent Channel Launches". Variety.
  22. ^ "TV One launches Cleo TV with exciting new shows in the lineup". Rolling out. March 23, 2019.
  23. ^ "Jake & Jazz Smollett Return for Cleo TV Hit 'Living by Design with Jake & Jazz'". Blackfilm.com. April 21, 2021.
  24. ^ SCHEDULE - CLEO TV; Retrieved on August 3, 2024
[edit]