.2 Network

.2 Network (pronounced Dot-Two Network) was the name of a planned television network designed for digital television subchannels (hence the ".2") owned by Guardian Enterprise Group that will replace the GTN network on a date never announced.^[1]

The channel was originally scheduled for launch on December 8, 2008 ^[2] however, citing the planned 2009 conclusion of US digital TV transition, the launch of .2 Network was delayed until sometime in Spring 2009.^[3]2 Network executives had announced an intention to delay the launch until the channel could reach at least 30% of US households, a milestone which at that time was predicted not to be reached until October 2009, almost a full year behind the original schedule.^[4] Ultimately, this milestone was never reached. The network's website, which from 2008 to 2010 had previews and info of the network, has since been reduced to a logo and telephone number as of mid-2010.^[5]

Programming

.2 Network had licensing agreements with Sony Pictures Entertainment, NBC Universal, Disney, Hallmark Channel and Screen Media.^[1]2 Network's proposed programming included Gidget, The Flying Nun, and hundreds of blockbuster movies. The .2 network was also to be a source for multiple broadcast premieres, with the prime-time line-up following a movie channel like format.^[6] Other programs were to include lifestyle-related, special-interest, and how-to shows, including Animal Rescue and Missing, and FCC-mandated "E/I" children's programming for its affiliated stations.^[7]

Since the announcement of .2 Network's plans, similar subchannel networks have launched, using the same programming libraries -- Antenna TV, a digital network from Tribune Broadcasting, has been receiving some of its programming from Sony Pictures since that channel launched on New Year's Day 2011.^[8] NBC Universal would also later sell rights of its programming to another similar network, Retro Television Network (RTV), but under their new Comcast ownership, removed their programming from RTV in June 2011, then signed a new agreement with Me-TV after that to provide them most of the same programming. The status of .2 Network's contracts with Sony Pictures and NBC Universal are currently unknown.

Affiliates

.2 Network had confirmed carriage in the following markets:^[9][10]

Notes

• ¹The licensee holds a duopoly in the market, and has not announced which station will carry the subchannel.
• ²According to the .2 "first affiliates" press release, these markets have been confirmed, but the identity of the affiliate station has not been released. These do not appear on .2 Network's own site in the list of stations; in some cases these are one-station markets.
• ³The station is the only station in the confirmed market (per the press release) that is suitable for carriage, but is not currently listed in the network's affiliate list.
• ⁴The station itself confirmed carriage by one of their engineers on the phone.
• ⁵Was previously announced for the subchannel to air on WSFJ-TV, until 2008, when Guardian sold the station to Trinity Broadcasting Network and moved its programming to a former TBN repeater, W23BZ.

HDTV

.2 Network plans on offering a 720p HDTV feed to its affiliates for either the subchannel or as a cable offering, despite some engineers' skepticism at the time of carrying two HDTV channels on one DTV frequency.^[10]

References

External links

• .2 Network Home Page