Movies!

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For other uses, see Movie (disambiguation).
Movies!
Type Digital broadcast television network
Country United States
Availability Nationwide via OTA digital television
Founded January 28, 2013 (2013-01-28)
Owner Fox Television Stations
(21st Century Fox),
Weigel Broadcasting
(both owning 50%)
Key people Neal Sabin, President of Weigel Broadcasting;
Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations
Launch date May 27, 2013 (2013-05-27)[1]
Picture format 16:9 widescreen letterbox
Official website www.moviestvnetwork.com

Movies! (stylized as "MOVIES!") is an American digital multicast television network that is owned as a joint venture between Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting and the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of 21st Century Fox. The network features an emphasis in its programming on feature films; it is available in the United States through the digital subchannels of broadcast television stations, as well as on select cable providers.[2] Movies! is broadcast 24 hours a day in the widescreen picture format[3] (available in either in standard-definition or high definition depending on the station's preference).

The network competes with This TV, a similarly formatted network currently operated by Weigel (whose operational stake in that network was later taken over by Tribune Broadcasting on November 1, 2013); that network's primary source of programming is composed of feature films, though that network also broadcasts classic television series and children's programming.

Background

On January 28, 2013, Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting announced the formation of Movies!, with plans to launch the network on Memorial Day 2013.[1][2][3] Movies! officially launched on May 27, 2013 at 8:10 a.m. Eastern Time, with the 1975 Western film Take a Hard Ride as the network’s first telecast, it aired immediately following a short 10-minute clip introducing the network.[4][5]

Programming

Described as presenting "a variety of theatrical motion pictures in a new, viewer and advertiser friendly format, not seen on broadcast television to date",[6] films featured on the network are edited for graphic profanity and inappropriate violent or sexual content, but are not edited for running times to fit in a time block (movie start and end times vary depending on the length of each movie).[4] As a result of the network running films in their original running time with commercials added, feature films that air on Movies! are scheduled in a manner that mirrors the program scheduling of premium cable channels.[5] Some of the films aired on the channel are 20th Century Fox releases, however titles from other studios, such as Paramount Pictures, are also shown.[5]

Movies! also airs a three-hour block of programs aimed at children each Saturday morning. This is done in order to meet FCC requirements on the amount of educational children's program content a broadcast television station or network must broadcast each week.[5]

Affiliates

Main article: List of Movies! affiliates

Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting launched Movies! in markets served by a station owned-and-operated by the Fox network or its sister programming service MyNetworkTV. The network is also carried on the digital subchannels of television stations owned by other broadcasting companies.[7] In Chicago, where Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting each own television stations, Fox-owned WPWR-TV is that market's charter affiliate of the network, instead of one of Weigel's three stations in that market (WCIU, WWME-CA and WMEU-CD), making Movies! the first Weigel-owned network in which the company's Chicago flagship stations do not serve as affiliates; Weigel has only one station that is affiliated with the network, WMLW-TV in Milwaukee, which carries Movies! its third digital subchannel.

See also

  • FX Movie Channel – Movies!'s sister cable network, which until mid-2013 carried many of the 20th Century Fox films making up Movies!'s schedule under the "Fox Movie Channel" branding.
  • Me-TV – a sister digital broadcast network, owned by Weigel Broadcasting and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, specializing in classic television series from the 1950s to the 1980s.
  • Retro Television Network – a similar digital broadcast network owned by Luken Communications specializing in classic television series from the 1950s to the 1970s.
  • Antenna TV – a digital broadcast network owned by Tribune Broadcasting specializing in classic TV programming and feature film content.
  • Bounce TV – a similar digital broadcast network specializing in films and select classic programming aimed at the African-American community.
  • This TV – a sister digital broadcast network, formerly owned by Weigel Broadcasting (currently; now owned by Tribune Broadcasting) and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, specializing in movies from the 1930s to the 2000s, select classic television series (mainly from the MGM/United Artists library) and select children's programming.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Malone, Michael (March 25, 2013). "This May Explain Why We Have a Shirtless 'Magnum, P.I.' On Our Cover Today". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 29, 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Fox Stations, Weigel Launching Movies!". TV News Check. January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Malone, Michael (January 28, 2013). "Fox O&Os, Weigel Launch Movies! Digi-Net". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved February 1, 2013. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Weigel introducing new MOVIES! channel Monday Retrieved May 27, 2013
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Movies TV Network -Schedule Retrieved May 27, 2013
  6. ↑ Feder, Robert (January 29, 2013). "Weigel creates new digital network for Fox TV stations". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved February 1, 2013. 
  7. ↑ Eck, Kevin (January 31, 2013). "FOX To Debut All Movie Network for Local TV Digital Subchannels". TV Spy. Retrieved February 1, 2013. 

External links

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