| Home Theater Network (HTN) | |
|---|---|
| Launched | 1977 |
| Closed | January 31, 1987 |
| Owned by | Group W Satellite Communications |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
Home Theater Network or HTN was the name of a premium cable television service that existed from 1977 to 1987. The service was operated by Group W Satellite Communications.
The service operated initially for four hours a day, expanding to 12 hours a day, and was notable for airing non-exclusive G and PG-rated films (prior to 1984, when the PG-13 rating was first introduced). It boasted a policy of not running R-rated feature films (predating the launch of family-oriented multiplex services by HBO, Showtime, Starz and Encore that also omitted R-rated films from their schedules), and marketed itself as a lower-priced alternative to HBO, Cinemax, Showtime (which Group W later owned in part) and The Movie Channel.
Prior to The Disney Channel's 1983 launch, Walt Disney Pictures licensed select non-animated films to many premium cable networks (including HBO, Showtime and Spotlight); as a result, HTN featured Disney fare such as Freaky Friday, Snowball Express, Pete's Dragon, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The North Avenue Irregulars. Other films HTN featured include Xanadu and The Private Eyes. In addition, the channel showcased travel-related programming between films, billing that programming as "The Travel Channel".
In October 1986, GWSC made the decision to shut the network down, citing a lack of growth despite a positive cash flow. GWSC terminated the service on January 31, 1987, and sold the transponder time on Satcom 3-R and the Travel Channel name to Trans World Airlines to launch the current service now known as The Travel Channel.[1]
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