USA Network
Encyclopedia
USA Network is an American cable television
channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk
, Psych
, Burn Notice
, Royal Pains
, Covert Affairs
, White Collar
, Monday Night RAW
, Suits
, and reruns of the various Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
series and reruns of Law & Order: Criminal Intent
. In addition, the network continues to air syndicated reruns of series like Becker
, House
, NCIS
, and Walker, Texas Ranger
. The network also broadcasts a variety of films from the Universal Studios
library.
Network (not to be confused with the New York City regional sports network of that name
). The channel became one of the first national cable television channels when it chose to use satellite
delivery as opposed to microwave
relay to cable systems. Initially, the network ran a mix of college and less watched professional sports similar to ESPN
, when they began. It was on after 5 PM weekdays and noon weekends.
On January 3, 1979, 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 and the then-MCA Inc.
/Universal City Studios
. That fall, USA began signing on at Noon on weekdays and would run some talk shows and a children's program called Calliope. Sports programming commenced at 5PM weekdays, and all weekend. In the fall of 1981, USA began programming daily at 6 AM, with talk shows and children's programs until noon, sports from noon on during weekends and until 3 PM weekdays, talk shows 3 to 6 PM weekdays, and sports again after 6 PM.
Later, in 1982, Time, Inc. (which would go on to merge with Warner Communications to become Time Warner
) and Gulf+Western
's Paramount Pictures
unit (now part of Viacom
) would buy stakes in the venture. MCA/Universal and the latter company would become the sole owners in 1987 (each owning 50%). In the fall of 1982, USA began 24 hour a day operations, running a mix of talk shows, a children's program, and a low budget movie from 6 AM to 6 PM. They began running a mix of 1960s and 1970s Hanna-Barbara cartoons weekday evenings from 6 to 7 PM known as the USA Cartoon Express
, and sports programming after 7 PM and rebroadcast that on overnights. Weekends had a mix of movies and some old drama shows and some talk shows during morning hours and sports afternoons and evenings. Overnights consisted of old low budget films and film shorts and music under a show called Night Flight
.
From 1984 to 1986, USA began moving away from sports programming and began focusing on general entertainment programming not found on broadcast stations including some less common network drama shows and cartoons. One tradition was an afternoon lineup of game show
reruns mixed in with several original low-budget productions aired over the years. It began in October 1984 with reruns of The Gong Show
and Make Me Laugh
. In September 1985, the network began airing a revival of the mid-1970s game show Jackpot
, and another original show was added in September 1986: Love Me, Love Me Not
. More shows were progressively added soon after such as The Joker's Wild
, Tic-Tac-Dough
, Press Your Luck
, High Rollers
, and Hollywood Squares
with John Davidson
, along with Wipeout, Face the Music
, and Name That Tune
. Another original show was added in June 1987, called Bumper Stumpers
. When it began, the game show block ran for an hour, but expanded significantly the following year. By 1989, the network ran game shows from noon to 5 p.m. five days a week.
, the early 1990s revivals of The Joker's Wild
and Tic-Tac-Dough
plus other well-known shows such as Scrabble
, Sale of the Century
, Talk About
and, Caesars Challenge
. Additionally, two more original shows were added in June 1994: Free 4 All
and Quicksilver
The block was decreased in September 1991 to only 3 hours, from 2 to 5 p.m. However, another hour was added in March 1993. In November 1994, it was cut back to only two hours, from 2 to 4 p.m.
In October 1995, the network dropped the entire game show block; it was replaced with a block called USA Live, which carried reruns of Love Connection
and The People's Court
, with live hosted wraparound segments between shows, but that block was dropped by 1997. Some of the game shows that USA broadcast can still be seen on GSN.
On September 24, 1992, USA launched a sister network, the Sci Fi Channel, which in July 2009 was renamed Syfy
. In 1997, three years after the Paramount/Viacom merger, that company sold its stake in the networks to Universal (which, along with parent MCA, changed ownership twice earlier in the 1990s: to Matsushita in 1991, and then Seagram
s in 1995, the latter company making Universal Studios the corporate name of its media division in 1997). Seagrams/Universal subsequently sold the networks to Barry Diller
.
In September 1998, USA dropped the USA Action Extreme Team
(which previously had been the USA Cartoon Express
for 16 years) and has not rerun children's animated series since that time. USA replaced it with a block called "USAM", which advertised itself as Primetime Comedy in the Morning. This block included mostly sitcoms that were cancelled before making it to 100 episodes
and for a time, also included the 1989–1994 episodes of the Bob Saget
run of America's Funniest Home Videos
. This block was dropped from the channel in 2001. USA also simulcasted the business news and information channel Bloomberg TV in the early-morning hours from 5–8 a.m. ET/PT; that simulcast moved to E!
in 2004 until it was dropped from that channel in 2007. USA was actually the second television network to simulcast Bloomberg Television's programming, the now-defunct American Independent Network
carried a simulcast of the channel during the mid-1990s.
and Power Corporation of Canada
), owner of cable TV channels Trio and Newsworld International
(the CBC continued to program NWI until 2005, when eventual USA owner Vivendi
sold the channel to a group led by Al Gore
, who relaunched 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 was rechristened as Focus Features
) and Studios USA) to Vivendi Universal. USA and the other channels were 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 multi-billion 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).
USA Network launched a high definition
version of the channel broadcasting in 1080i
on October 3, 2007. and is currently available on DirecTV
, Dish Network
, and several other cable
systems,
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. On December 7, 2007, it was announced that USA Network would continue broadcasting first-run episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw until 2010. The USA original series Burn Notice
also made its debut in 2007.
In 2008, USA announced a new original series In Plain Sight
, starring Mary McCormack
, focusing on a United States Marshal
working for the Witness Protection Program. The show was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico
. The series debuted June 1, 2008 with USA's highest-rated series premiere since the premiere of Psych
in 2006 with 5.3 million viewers.
In early 2009, USA Network acquired the network television rights for 24 recent and upcoming Universal Pictures
films for $200 million. Among the films included in the deal are Milk
, Frost/Nixon
, Duplicity
, State of Play
, Land of the Lost
and Funny People
. As of January 18, 2009 House
was the highest-rated drama on USA Network (to this day) surpassing both Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
, with In Plain Sight
, Monk
and NCIS
.
Monk
(which returned for its last season) and Psych returned Friday, August 7, 2009. Monks series finale was on Friday, December 4, 2009. Psych paused mid-season on Friday, October 16, 2009 and resumed the airing of the 4th season's episodes in January 2010. USA's newest series White Collar
premiered on Friday, October 23, 2009 and its fall finale was Friday, December 4, 2009 (with the series finale of Monk).
resumed airing the remainder of the 3rd season's episodes on Thursdays at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central as well as it being renewed for a 4th season starting Spring-Summer 2010. White Collar
returned as well airing the remaining episodes of its first season on a new night and at a new time; on Tuesdays at 10:00pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central. Psych returned on a new night and at a new time; on Wednesdays at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central.
In 2011, control and majority ownership of then-parent NBCUniversal passed from General Electric
to Comcast
.
and the Tennis Channel as of 2009. 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 is also the home of World Wrestling Entertainment
's (then called the World Wrestling Federation) flagship cable TV show WWE Raw
from its debut in January 1993 until September 2000, and currently since October 2005. Each April from 1982–2007, USA broadcast the opening two rounds of the Masters along with high-definition coverage on Universal HD. The coverage switched to ESPN
in 2008. USA also carried Major League Baseball
games on Thursday nights from 1979 to 1983. USA Network also took part in broadcasting IIHF ice hockey in 2006 and 2010.
USA Network stopped using voiceovers during the show's closing credits in 1998.
submitted an application to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), to bring the USA Network to Canada (and to automatically allow all English-language general interest cable networks from the USA into Canada). However, because of programming rights issues in Canada, certain programs would be subjected to blackout, including WWE Raw
. 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
. Mystery TV is an English language digital cable specialty channel that is owned by Shaw Media
and Groupe TVA
. However, on September 20, 2007, the CRTC did say they would reconsider their denial of USA Network, when Shaw Communications instead offered to carry USA Network on their digital cable packages, at a future date. However, this has since been rejected again because its programming would make the channel compete with Mystery TV
.
such as Argentina
and Brazil
previously had their own USA Network versions, but in September 2004, most were renamed Universal Channel
to take advantage of the more well-known brand and reduce the awkwardness of a channel branded with the initials of another nation.
) than any other network the third straight year. In 2008, USA was also the top network in basic cable prime among total viewers (2.84 million, +19% over #2 Disney Channel
) and households (2.11 million, +17% over #2 Disney Channel).
USA's 2008 average for P25-54 (1.33 million), P18-49 (1.30 million), total viewers (2.84 million) and households (2.11 million) is the highest ever for a basic cable network in Primetime. USA delivered more P25-54, P18-49, and total viewers than The CW in prime (Mon-Sun 8P-11P). This is the first time a cable network has beaten a broadcast network.
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
, Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
, Burn Notice
Burn notice
A burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons...
, Royal Pains
Royal Pains
Royal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies...
, Covert Affairs
Covert Affairs
Covert Affairs is a USA Network television series starring Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham. The one-hour drama premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The show concluded its first season on September 14, 2010 and was renewed for a second season on August 19, 2010. The second season began airing on...
, White Collar
White Collar (TV series)
White Collar is a USA Network television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Matt Bomer as con-man Neal Caffrey and Tim DeKay as Special Agent Peter Burke. It premiered on October 23, 2009. In December 2009, White Collar was renewed for a second season that began on July 13, 2010...
, Monday Night RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Suits
Suits (TV series)
Suits is a USA Network television drama series starring Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams. The 12-episode first season debuted on June 23, 2011, with a 90-minute premiere. It was renewed for a second season of 16 episodes on August 11, 2011, expected to premiere in Summer 2012.- Overview :Mike...
, and reruns of the various Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
series and reruns of Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
. In addition, the network continues to air syndicated reruns of series like Becker
Becker (TV series)
Becker is an American television sitcom that ran from 1998 to 2004 on CBS. Set in the New York City borough of The Bronx, the show starred Ted Danson as John Becker, a misanthropic doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, co-workers, friends, and practically...
, House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
, and Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
. The network also broadcasts a variety of films from the Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
library.
Early years
USA Network premiered on September 8, 1971, originally organized as the Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
Network (not to be confused with the New York City regional sports network of that name
MSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
). The channel became one of the first national cable television channels when it chose to use satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
delivery as opposed to microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
relay to cable systems. Initially, the network ran a mix of college and less watched professional sports similar to ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, when they began. It was on after 5 PM weekdays and noon weekends.
On January 3, 1979, the channel changed its name to USA Network after the ownership structure was reorganized under a joint operating agreement by the UA-Columbia Cablevision
UA-Columbia Cablevision
UA-Columbia Cablevision was a cable television provider in the United States. Originally partially owned by United Artists Entertainment , UA would later gain full control. It was one of the largest providers in the early years of cable tv service...
cable system and the then-MCA Inc.
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
/Universal City Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. That fall, USA began signing on at Noon on weekdays and would run some talk shows and a children's program called Calliope. Sports programming commenced at 5PM weekdays, and all weekend. In the fall of 1981, USA began programming daily at 6 AM, with talk shows and children's programs until noon, sports from noon on during weekends and until 3 PM weekdays, talk shows 3 to 6 PM weekdays, and sports again after 6 PM.
Later, in 1982, Time, Inc. (which would go on to merge with Warner Communications to become Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
) and Gulf+Western
Gulf+Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
's Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
unit (now part of Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
) would buy stakes in the venture. MCA/Universal and the latter company would become the sole owners in 1987 (each owning 50%). In the fall of 1982, USA began 24 hour a day operations, running a mix of talk shows, a children's program, and a low budget movie from 6 AM to 6 PM. They began running a mix of 1960s and 1970s Hanna-Barbara cartoons weekday evenings from 6 to 7 PM known as the USA Cartoon Express
USA Cartoon Express
The USA Cartoon Express was a programming block of animated productions which aired on cable television's USA Network from late 1982 to September 15, 1996...
, and sports programming after 7 PM and rebroadcast that on overnights. Weekends had a mix of movies and some old drama shows and some talk shows during morning hours and sports afternoons and evenings. Overnights consisted of old low budget films and film shorts and music under a show called Night Flight
Night Flight (TV series)
Night Flight is a variety show that originated on the USA Network. An eclectic mix of short films, cartoons, B movies, stand up comedy, documentaries, music videos and more, Night Flight was broadcast, in various incarnations, from 1981 to 1996....
.
From 1984 to 1986, USA began moving away from sports programming and began focusing on general entertainment programming not found on broadcast stations including some less common network drama shows and cartoons. One tradition was an afternoon lineup of game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
reruns mixed in with several original low-budget productions aired over the years. It began in October 1984 with reruns of The Gong Show
The Gong Show
The Gong Show is an amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976–1980 and 1988–1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served...
and Make Me Laugh
Make Me Laugh
Make Me Laugh was an American game show in which contestants watched three stand-up comedians performing their acts, one at a time, earning one dollar for every second that they could make it through without laughing. Each comedian got sixty seconds to try to crack the contestant up...
. In September 1985, the network began airing a revival of the mid-1970s game show Jackpot
Jackpot (game show)
Jackpot! is a television game show seen in three different runs between 1974 and 1990. Geoff Edwards hosted the original version of this Bob Stewart production from January 7, 1974 until September 26, 1975 on NBC. A second version, produced in Canada, aired from September 30, 1985 to December 30,...
, and another original show was added in September 1986: Love Me, Love Me Not
Love Me, Love Me Not (game show)
Love Me, Love Me Not is a Canadian game show based on the hit Italian game show M'ama Non M'ama, which translates in English to "love me, love me not". It originally aired in Canada in 1986 and debuted later in the United States on the USA Network on September 29, 1986...
. More shows were progressively added soon after such as The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild is an American television game show that aired at different times during the 1970s through the 1990s. Contestants answered questions based on categories that were determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine....
, Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the pen-and-paper game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on the board. Three versions were produced: the initial 1956–59 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on...
, Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck is an American television daytime game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. It premiered on September 19, 1983 on CBS and ended on September 26, 1986. In the show, contestants collected "spins" by answering trivia questions and then used the spins on an 18-space game...
, High Rollers
High Rollers
High Rollers is an American television game show based on the dice game Shut the Box. The show aired on NBC from July 1, 1974 to June 11, 1976 and again from April 24, 1978 to June 20, 1980. Two different syndicated versions were also produced, a weekly series in the 1975–1976 season which ran...
, and Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
with John Davidson
John Davidson (entertainer)
John Hamilton Davidson, Sr. is an American singer, actor and game show host known for hosting That's Incredible!, Time Machine, and Hollywood Squares in the 1980s, and a revival of The $100,000 Pyramid in 1991....
, along with Wipeout, Face the Music
Face The Music (game show)
Face the Music was an American television game show that aired in syndication from January 14, 1980 to September 1981. The show tested contestants' knowledge of popular music songs, and association of song titles with famous people, places and things....
, and Name That Tune
Name That Tune
Name That Tune is a television game show that put two contestants against each other to test their knowledge of songs. Premiering in the United States on NBC Radio in 1952, the show was created and produced by Harry Salter and his wife Roberta....
. Another original show was added in June 1987, called Bumper Stumpers
Bumper Stumpers
Bumper Stumpers is a Canadian game show in which two teams of two players attempted to decipher vanity license plates. It aired on the USA Network in the United States and on the Global Television Network in Canada from June 29, 1987 to December 28, 1990...
. When it began, the game show block ran for an hour, but expanded significantly the following year. By 1989, the network ran game shows from noon to 5 p.m. five days a week.
1990s
The tradition of game show reruns continued into the 1990s with the $25,000 and $100,000 PyramidsPyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, the early 1990s revivals of The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild is an American television game show that aired at different times during the 1970s through the 1990s. Contestants answered questions based on categories that were determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine....
and Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the pen-and-paper game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on the board. Three versions were produced: the initial 1956–59 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on...
plus other well-known shows such as Scrabble
Scrabble (game show)
Scrabble is an American television game show that was based on the Scrabble board game. The show was co-produced by Exposure Unlimited and Reg Grundy Productions. It ran from July 2, 1984 to March 23, 1990, and again from January 18 to June 11, 1993, both runs on NBC. A total of 1,335 episodes were...
, Sale of the Century
Sale of the Century (US game show)
Sale of the Century is an American television game show which debuted in the United States on September 29, 1969, on NBC daytime. It was one of three NBC game shows to premiere on that date, the other two being the short-lived Letters to Laugh-In and Name Droppers. The series aired until July 13,...
, Talk About
Talk About (game show)
Talk About is a game show produced in Canada for CBC, which bears some similarities to the board game Outburst. Originally produced for CBC for the 1988-89 season, it was later picked up for American television syndication, airing from September 18, 1989 to March 16, 1990, with repeats later airing...
and, Caesars Challenge
Caesars Challenge
Caesars Challenge is an American game show that aired on NBC from June 14, 1993 to January 14, 1994. Ahmad Rashad hosted the show and Dan Doherty, dressed as a gladiator, served as the show's assistant. Chad Brown and Zach Ruby also served as assistants early in the show. Steve Day announced the...
. Additionally, two more original shows were added in June 1994: Free 4 All
Free 4 All
Free 4 All was a short-lived Stone-Stanley game show hosted by Mark Walberg that aired on USA Network from June 27 to November 4, 1994. For its first month, it was paired with another Stone-Stanley game show Quicksilver which aired immediately before Free 4 All on the network's afternoon game show...
and Quicksilver
Quicksilver (game show)
Quicksilver was a game show hosted by Ron Maestri that aired on USA Network from June 27, 1994 to October 13, 1995. For its first month, it was paired with another Stone-Stanley game show Free 4 All which aired immediately after Quicksilver on the network's afternoon game show block...
The block was decreased in September 1991 to only 3 hours, from 2 to 5 p.m. However, another hour was added in March 1993. In November 1994, it was cut back to only two hours, from 2 to 4 p.m.
In October 1995, the network dropped the entire game show block; it was replaced with a block called USA Live, which carried reruns of Love Connection
Love Connection
Love Connection is an American television game show, hosted by Chuck Woolery, in which singles attempted to connect with a compatible partner of the opposite gender. The show debuted in syndication on September 19, 1983 and ended on July 1, 1994, after more than 2,000 shows. Reruns continued to air...
and The People's Court
The People's Court
The People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....
, with live hosted wraparound segments between shows, but that block was dropped by 1997. Some of the game shows that USA broadcast can still be seen on GSN.
On September 24, 1992, USA launched a sister network, the Sci Fi Channel, which in July 2009 was renamed Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. In 1997, three years after the Paramount/Viacom merger, that company sold its stake in the networks to Universal (which, along with parent MCA, changed ownership twice earlier in the 1990s: to Matsushita in 1991, and then Seagram
Seagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
s in 1995, the latter company making Universal Studios the corporate name of its media division in 1997). Seagrams/Universal subsequently sold the networks to Barry Diller
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller is the Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and the media executive responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting.-Early life:...
.
In September 1998, USA dropped the USA Action Extreme Team
USA Action Extreme Team
USA Action Extreme Team was a children's television programming block on USA Network from 1996 to 1998. It was expanded to weekly, and ended in September 1998, when the network permanently removed children's programming.-Shows:...
(which previously had been the USA Cartoon Express
USA Cartoon Express
The USA Cartoon Express was a programming block of animated productions which aired on cable television's USA Network from late 1982 to September 15, 1996...
for 16 years) and has not rerun children's animated series since that time. USA replaced it with a block called "USAM", which advertised itself as Primetime Comedy in the Morning. This block included mostly sitcoms that were cancelled before making it to 100 episodes
100 episodes
In the U.S. television industry, 100 episodes is the traditional threshold at which point a television series becomes viable for syndication. 100 episodes are advantageous for stripped syndication because such shows can be sold for higher per-episode pricing; it also allows for 20 weeks of...
and for a time, also included the 1989–1994 episodes of the Bob Saget
Bob Saget
Robert Lane "Bob" Saget is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Although he is best known for his roles as Danny Tanner in Full House, host of America's Funniest Home Videos and Future Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother, Saget is also known outside of television for his blue...
run of America's Funniest Home Videos
America's Funniest Home Videos
America's Funniest Home Videos is an American reality television program on ABC in which viewers are able to send in humorous homemade videotapes. The most common videos usually feature slapstick physical comedy arising from incidents, accidents and mishaps...
. This block was dropped from the channel in 2001. USA also simulcasted the business news and information channel Bloomberg TV in the early-morning hours from 5–8 a.m. ET/PT; that simulcast moved to E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
in 2004 until it was dropped from that channel in 2007. USA was actually the second television network to simulcast Bloomberg Television's programming, the now-defunct American Independent Network
American Independent Network
The American Independent Network was one of the first major attempts at building a television network, consisting of low-powered television stations. Started by Don Shelton, Randy Moseley, and Lynn Synder, it was similar to the older Channel America , and was the foundation for Urban America TV...
carried a simulcast of the channel during the mid-1990s.
2000s
In 2000, USA Networks bought Canada's North American Television, Inc. (a joint partnership between the CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
and Power Corporation of Canada
Power Corporation of Canada
Power Corporation of Canada is a Canadian company with assets in North America and Europe in a number of industries. These industries include media, pulp and paper, and financial services....
), owner of cable TV channels Trio and Newsworld International
Newsworld International
Newsworld International was a cable TV news channel broadcasting in the United States, whose content contained a mix of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and other international newscasts. The channel reached about 20 million homes and provided its audience with the news from a variety of global...
(the CBC continued to program NWI until 2005, when eventual USA owner Vivendi
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
sold the channel to a group led by Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, who relaunched it as Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
).
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 was rechristened as Focus Features
Focus Features
Focus Features is the art house films division of NBC Universal's Universal Pictures, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films....
) and Studios USA) to Vivendi Universal. USA and the other channels were folded into Vivendi's Universal Television Group.
In 2003, General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
's NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
agreed to buy 80% of Vivendi Universal's North American–based filmed entertainment assets, including Universal Pictures and Universal Television Group in a multi-billion dollar purchase, renaming the merged company NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
.
In 2004, NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
officially took over as owner of USA and its sibling cable channels (except for Newsworld International as stated above).
USA Network launched a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
version of the channel broadcasting in 1080i
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
on October 3, 2007. and is currently available on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
, Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
, and several other cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
systems,
NBC Universal announced before NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
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
1987 in television
The year 1987 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1987.For American TV schedule, see: 1987–88 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
, NBC's revival of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1985 to 1986, and on the USA Network from 1987 to 1989...
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. On December 7, 2007, it was announced that USA Network would continue broadcasting first-run episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw until 2010. The USA original series Burn Notice
Burn Notice (TV series)
Burn Notice is an American television series created by Matt Nix. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, and, beginning in the fourth season, Coby Bell. The series premiered on June 28, 2007, on USA Network. On April 15, 2010, the show was renewed for its...
also made its debut in 2007.
In 2008, USA announced a new original series In Plain Sight
In Plain Sight
In Plain Sight is an American dramatic television series on USA Network. The series revolves around Mary Shannon , a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico office of the Federal Witness Security Program , more commonly known as the Federal Witness Protection Program...
, starring Mary McCormack
Mary McCormack
Mary Catherine McCormack is an American actress. Best known for her work in television, she has had leading roles as Justine Appleton in the series Murder One , as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in The West Wing and as Mary Shannon in In Plain Sight .Her film roles include Private...
, focusing on a United States Marshal
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
working for the Witness Protection Program. The show was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. The series debuted June 1, 2008 with USA's highest-rated series premiere since the premiere of Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
in 2006 with 5.3 million viewers.
In early 2009, USA Network acquired the network television rights for 24 recent and upcoming Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
films for $200 million. Among the films included in the deal are Milk
Milk (film)
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
, Frost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon (film)
Frost/Nixon is a 2008 historical drama film based on the 2006 play by Peter Morgan which dramatizes the Frost/Nixon interviews of 1977. The film was directed by Ron Howard and produced for Universal Pictures by Howard, Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working...
, Duplicity
Duplicity (film)
Duplicity is a 2009 American romantic comedy spy film written and directed by Tony Gilroy, and starring Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. The plot follows two corporate spies with a romantic history who collaborate to carry out a complicated con...
, State of Play
State of Play (film)
State of Play is a 2009 French-British-American political thriller film. It is an adaptation of the six-part British television serial of the same name which first aired on BBC One in 2003. The plot of the six-hour serial was condensed to fit a two-hour movie format, with the location changed to...
, Land of the Lost
Land of the Lost (film)
Land of the Lost is a 2009 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel, based on the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series of the same name.-Plot:...
and Funny People
Funny People
Funny People is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann. The film was released on 31 July 2009 in North America, and on 28 August 2009 in the United Kingdom. Funny People uses considerably more...
. As of January 18, 2009 House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
was the highest-rated drama on USA Network (to this day) surpassing both Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
, with In Plain Sight
In Plain Sight
In Plain Sight is an American dramatic television series on USA Network. The series revolves around Mary Shannon , a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico office of the Federal Witness Security Program , more commonly known as the Federal Witness Protection Program...
, Monk
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
and NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
.
Monk
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
(which returned for its last season) and Psych returned Friday, August 7, 2009. Monks series finale was on Friday, December 4, 2009. Psych paused mid-season on Friday, October 16, 2009 and resumed the airing of the 4th season's episodes in January 2010. USA's newest series White Collar
White Collar (TV series)
White Collar is a USA Network television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Matt Bomer as con-man Neal Caffrey and Tim DeKay as Special Agent Peter Burke. It premiered on October 23, 2009. In December 2009, White Collar was renewed for a second season that began on July 13, 2010...
premiered on Friday, October 23, 2009 and its fall finale was Friday, December 4, 2009 (with the series finale of Monk).
2010s
In 2010, USA Network started occupying weeknights with the networks original series. After the 2009–2010 season break, Burn NoticeBurn notice
A burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons...
resumed airing the remainder of the 3rd season's episodes on Thursdays at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central as well as it being renewed for a 4th season starting Spring-Summer 2010. White Collar
White Collar (TV series)
White Collar is a USA Network television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Matt Bomer as con-man Neal Caffrey and Tim DeKay as Special Agent Peter Burke. It premiered on October 23, 2009. In December 2009, White Collar was renewed for a second season that began on July 13, 2010...
returned as well airing the remaining episodes of its first season on a new night and at a new time; on Tuesdays at 10:00pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central. Psych returned on a new night and at a new time; on Wednesdays at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central.
In 2011, control and majority ownership of then-parent NBCUniversal passed from General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
to Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
.
Sports
The network is the longtime home of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, and was the longtime cable home of the United States Open (tennis), which moved to ESPN2ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and the Tennis Channel as of 2009. Since 2004, they have broadcast portions of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, along with many other NBC Universal basic cable channels. Previously, it had a weekly boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
show named USA Tuesday Night Fights
USA Tuesday Night Fights
USA Tuesday Night Fights is a television boxing show. It aired from October 1, 1982 through August 25, 1998 on the USA Network; at one time it was the longest continually-running boxing show on television....
, which ran for 17 years. USA is also the home of World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's (then called the World Wrestling Federation) flagship cable TV show WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
from its debut in January 1993 until September 2000, and currently since October 2005. Each April from 1982–2007, USA broadcast the opening two rounds of the Masters along with high-definition coverage on Universal HD. The coverage switched to ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
in 2008. USA also carried Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
games on Thursday nights from 1979 to 1983. USA Network also took part in broadcasting IIHF ice hockey in 2006 and 2010.
USA Network slogans
- January 3, 1979–1981: "It's a Great Place to Stay" (1st logo only)
- 1981–September 10, 1989: (used concurrently) "America's All-Entertainment Network" (1st logo only)
- September 11, 1989 – September 12, 1993: "America's Favorite Cable Network" (1st logo only)
- September 13, 1993 – June 16, 1996: "The Remote Stops Here" (1st logo only)
- June 17, 1996 – July 5, 1999: "The Cure for the Common Show" (2nd logo only)
- July 6, 1999 – July 2005: "You Are Here" (3rd, 4th, and 5th logos)
- This logo initially had seven stripes, but due to problems with interlacing, it was later changed to five stripes.
- July 2005–present: "Characters Welcome" (6th logo only)
- This slogan incorporates the use of television spots featuring USA original characters interacting with each other or the world (with humorous effect).
Voiceover artists
- Alan KalterAlan KalterAlan Kalter is an American television announcer from New York City. He is best knownas the announcer for the Late Show with David Letterman since September 5, 1995.-Career:...
(1979; also did voiceovers during the show's closing credits until 1996; his introduction of paid programming disclaimers from this era continues to be played on the network to the present day) - Fred Harrison, end credits V/O (1997–1998), main V/O artist (1997–2003)
- Jerry Combs (2004–present)
- Lou Cohen (2004–present)
- Dick Feldman, end credits V/O (1996–1998)
- Frank Walker, main V/O artist (1997–2001), end credits V/O (1998 only)
USA Network stopped using voiceovers during the show's closing credits in 1998.
Various USA Network idents
USA Network opened each show in its past years with its station idents. Here are some of them from 1989 to 1999.- From 1989–1993, the "America's Favorite Cable Network" IDs were used, with an upbeat jingle that played throughout and sometimes Alan KalterAlan KalterAlan Kalter is an American television announcer from New York City. He is best knownas the announcer for the Late Show with David Letterman since September 5, 1995.-Career:...
saying "You're watching USA, America's Favorite Cable Network." - From 1993–1996, the "The Remote Stops Here" IDs were used. The more-common one had the famous "USA Rock" jingle. Two edits were used for the music, one for the main and USA Sports IDs and one to open the original WWF Raw.
- From 1996–1999, two "USA Studios" idents were used and a new logo and a new jingle were introduced. The first one is long and has the studios' entrance with a rock edit, and the second one has the control room, with a piano edit.
- From 1996–1999, two new "USA Studios" idents were used with the announcer saying "You're watching USA Network", a short version and a longer version. The logo text was black, and a hard-rock version of the jingle was played throughout
Canada
In February 2007, Shaw CommunicationsShaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
submitted an application to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), to bring the USA Network to Canada (and to automatically allow all English-language general interest cable networks from the USA into Canada). However, because of programming rights issues in Canada, certain programs would be subjected to blackout, including WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
. In September 2007, the commission refused Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
' request to carry USA Network into Canada because it had too much programming that overlapped with Mystery TV
Mystery TV
Mystery TV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel which presents movies and television series of the mystery and suspense genres...
. Mystery TV is an English language digital cable specialty channel that is owned by Shaw Media
Shaw Media
Shaw Media is the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. Shaw Media owns the Global Television Network, which broadcasts via 11 television stations, as well as various specialty channels including HGTV Canada, Showcase, Food Network Canada, and History Television.Despite also...
and Groupe TVA
TVA (TV network)
TVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
. However, on September 20, 2007, the CRTC did say they would reconsider their denial of USA Network, when Shaw Communications instead offered to carry USA Network on their digital cable packages, at a future date. However, this has since been rejected again because its programming would make the channel compete with Mystery TV
Mystery TV
Mystery TV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel which presents movies and television series of the mystery and suspense genres...
.
South America
Countries in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
such as Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
previously had their own USA Network versions, but in September 2004, most were renamed Universal Channel
Universal Channel
Universal Channel is a television channel specializing in movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, owned by Universal Networks International, a division of NBCUniversal and available on satellite and cable platforms...
to take advantage of the more well-known brand and reduce the awkwardness of a channel branded with the initials of another nation.
Ratings
USA was the #1 network in basic cable prime, delivering more P25-54 (1.33 million, +23% over #2 TNT) and P18-49 (1.30 million, +16% over #2 TBSTBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
) than any other network the third straight year. In 2008, USA was also the top network in basic cable prime among total viewers (2.84 million, +19% over #2 Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
) and households (2.11 million, +17% over #2 Disney Channel).
USA's 2008 average for P25-54 (1.33 million), P18-49 (1.30 million), total viewers (2.84 million) and households (2.11 million) is the highest ever for a basic cable network in Primetime. USA delivered more P25-54, P18-49, and total viewers than The CW in prime (Mon-Sun 8P-11P). This is the first time a cable network has beaten a broadcast network.