List of defunct United States cable and satellite television networks

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Main article: List of United States cable and satellite television networks

Defunct networks (no longer in existence under any name)

Sports

Name Owner Notes
CNN Sports Illustrated Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner) 1996-2002
Empire Sports Network
Men's Outdoor & Recreation ceased operations
Prime Network Liberty Media 1983-1997
Sports Time Anheuser-Busch St. Louis and Midwest Cable Sports station
SportsChannel America 1988-1993
TVS
Victory Sports One Minnesota Twins Baseball Network/Minnesota Gophers Sports

Gender

Name Owner Notes
Boyz Channel Gender-oriented digital cable channel spun off in 1999 from Fox Family Channel (then-owned by Fox). Shut down in 2000 due to lack of cable coverage and controversy that developed over it and fellow sex-segrated sister channel Girlz Channel.
Girlz Channel Gender-oriented digital cable channel spun off in 1999 from Fox Family Channel (then-owned by Fox). Shut down in 2000 due to lack of cable coverage and controversy that developed over it and fellow sex-segrated sister channel Boyz Channel.

News

Name Owner Notes
All News Channel
CBS TeleNoticias
America's Voice aka National Empowerment Television, or NET
CNNfn Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner) 1995-2004
Satellite News Channel (SNC) a joint venture between ABC and Group W news
Tempo Television formerly Satellite Program Network - SPN

Music

Name Owner Notes
Cable Music Channel Turner Broadcasting started in the 1980s by Ted Turner to compete with MTV. Unlike MTV, it had no VJs. It was short lived.
m Channel Aired syndicated music videos, TV shows, movies and news. Was folded under decision of the owner/creater of the network.
MOR Music TV (Music video shopping channel)
The Tube Ceased operations October 1, 2007
Z Music Music video channel; not to be confused with movie service Z Channel; shared channel space with BET in some areas

Lifestyle

Name Owner Notes
Kaleidoscope Channel for the disabled
Lime Went online-only February 25, 2007. Formerly Wisdom Network
XY TV

PPV

Name Owner Notes
Action Pay-Per-VIew Bet network, and later TVN Entertaiment Difunction channel.
Cable Video Store General Instrument (Original), Graff Pay-Per-View (2nd) pay-per-view
Request TV Liberty Media and Twentieth Century Fox (pay-per-view)
Wometco Home Theater Wometco Enterprises

Premiums

Name Owner Notes
Festival Home Box Office, Inc. 1980s premium channel from HBO
Home Theater Network (HTN) premium movies
ON-TV
PRISM Spectacor 24-hour premium cable television channel intended for cable customers in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania metropolitan area.
SelecTV Starion Entertainment
Spotlight (cable TV) premium movies
SuperTV
Z Channel Movie channel

Shopping

Name Owner Notes
America's Store IAC/InterActiveCorp Ceased broadcasting on April 3, 2007
Q2 Home shopping. Spinoff of QVC, existed briefly in the mid 1990s

Same Sex

Name Owner Notes
Q Television Network Triangle Multimedia

Enterainment

Name Owner Notes
Channel America
TV Guide On Screen Existed briefly in the 1990s, airing on some cable systems in lieu of Prevue Channel. TV Guide wanted back in the game, so they purchased Prevue in 1999 and renamed it TV Guide Channel.
UoNTV Existed for a short period after launching in 2005. Broadcasted user-submitted content via free-to-air satellite television.
WWOR EMI Service RKO General (1979-1987), MCA (1987-1991), Pinelands, Inc. (1991-1993), Chris-Craft Industries (1993-1997), Eastern Microwave, Incorporated (uplinker, 1979-1996; Superstation programmer, 1990-1996), Advance Entertainment Corporation (uplinker and Superstation programmer, 1996) National version of New York City's WWOR-TV. Existed c. 1989-1997

German

Name Owner Notes
ChannelD First German private television satellite channel is North America 2001-2002
Dolphin-TV Dolphin-TV German Television Inc. German private television satellite channel 2006-2007
GermanTV Deutsche Welle TV, ARD & ZDF (German Public Broadcasters) Satellite channel 2001-2005

Public Interest

Name Owner Notes
PBS YOU Public Broadcasting Service

African-American

Name Owner Notes
Black Family Channel Ceased operations April 30, 2007. To launch as broadband network, subscriber base sold to Gospel Music Channel. Formerly MBC Network

Networks that have ceased operations to become another network

Name Owner Notes
America's Health Network eventually relaunched as FitTV
America's Talking NBC relaunched as MSNBC
Cable Health Channel renamed FitTV. Went off the air, but the naming rights were bought by Discovery Communications, who brought back FitTV after they purchased the Health Network
Classic Sports Network purchased by ESPN and renamed ESPN Classic
Eye On People CBS relaunched as Discovery People, Discovery Civilization and in 2002, Discovery Times
INTRO Television originally called TV!; renamed INTRO Television, carrying the same programming format. Replaced by Encore PLEX (eventually changed to MOVIEplex) in 1995
MuchUSA CHUM Limited and Rainbow Media re-branded as Fuse TV
Newsworld International purchased by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, relaunched as Current TV in August 2005
Odyssey originally launched as two separate networks, ACTS (a Christian teaching channel) and VISN (interfaith programming). VISN and ACTS merged and became Faith & Values Channel. The network was renamed again in 1996 as Odyssey. Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company purchased the network, which was relaunched as Hallmark Channel in 2001
PBS Kids Channel Public Broadcasting Service relaunched as PBS Kids Sprout
Prevue Channel launched as Prevue Guide, then modified slightly into Prevue Channel. Purchased by TV Guide in 1999 and renamed TV Guide Channel
TNN Originally The Nashville Network later renamed The National Network. Purchased by Viacom and relaunched as Spike TV
The Box Merged into MTV2 a year after being bought by Viacom
Trio NBC Universal relaunched as Sleuth TV in January 2006
Turner South Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner) now known as SportSouth
VH1 Mega Hits MTV Networks (Viacom) ceased programming in 2005, satellite space and existing subscription base used to launch Logo.
ZDTV Ziff-Davis Became TechTV in 2000 and then merged with G4 to form G4techTV, which is now G4.

Networks that have merged with another network

Name Owner Notes
Alpha Repertory Television Service (ARTS) Hearst Corporation and ABC merged with The Entertainment Channel to form Arts & Entertainment in 1984.
Cable Health Network Viacom merged with Daytime to form Lifetime in 1984
Daytime ABC, Hearst Corporation merged with Cable Health Network to form Lifetime in 1984
Financial News Network purchased by NBC and merged with CNBC in 1991.
HA! MTV Networks (Viacom) Merged with The Comedy Channel (USA) to form Comedy Central in 1991.
TechTV Ziff Davis, Vulcan Ventures, and G4 Media purchased by Comcast and merged with G4 in 2004.
The Comedy Channel (USA) Home Box Office, Inc. (Time Warner) not to be confused with other foreign Comedy Channel-branded networks. Merged with HA! to form Comedy Central in 1991.
The Entertainment Channel NBC merged with Alpha Repertory Television Service (ARTS) to form Arts & Entertainment in 1984.
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