Military History (TV channel)

Military History
Launched	January 5, 2005
Network	History
Owned by	A+E Networks (Hearst Corporation (50%) Disney–ABC Television Group (50%))
Picture format	480i (SDTV) HD currently unavailable.
Country	United States
Language	English
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Headquarters	New York City, New York
Formerly called	Military History Channel (2005–08)
Sister channel(s)	History History en Español
Availability
Cable
Verizon FiOS	126 (SD only)
IPTV
AT&T U-verse	276 (SD only)

Military History is an American digital cable and satellite television channel that is owned by A+E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney–ABC Television Group subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Corporation (which each own 50%). The channel features programs about the history of the military and significant combat events.

The channel's main competitor is Discovery's American Heroes Channel, formerly the Military Channel.^[1]

History

Military History Channel was launched on January 5, 2005 and as the third spin-off channel of The History Channel (now History). Viewers of History wanted more military history programs, but there was not time on the channel, thus the creation of Military History. Beginning on March 27, 2004, a military-history programming block started on History International as a prologue. The launch was an open preview, or soft launch, as no cable operators were signed up. Dan Davids, president of the History Channel USA, planned to push for digital basic level cable carriage. Its initial programming library drew from A&E and History's programs. The channel's initial prime time shows were under an umbrella banner of “Battle History”, which consisted of five documentary miniseries featuring each of the US military services. In the second quarter of 2005, the channel had its hard launch.^[1]

Like its parent channel, the channel dropped the word "Channel" from its name on March 20, 2008. On July 28, 2008, Military History was launched in the United Kingdom by The History Channel (U.K.), a joint venture between A&E Networks and BSkyB, on Sky Digital.^[2]

Programming

Military History features programs that focus on historical battles and wars, as well as programs that profile key individuals such as generals, soldiers and spies. It also airs documentaries and series that provide insight into how these wars were fought and the lives of those who served in them.

Its initial programming library drew from A&E and History's program libraries.^[1] Much of its programming focuses on World War II; this same type of programming had earned The History Channel the appellation "The Hitler Channel" up until the transfer of these programs to Military History.

Programming banners

• “Battle History” (January 5, 2005) which consisted of five documentary miniseries featuring the US military services and was the channel's soft launch prime time programming^[1]
• “Salute to Armed Forces Week”, included the specials, “Hispanics & the Medal of Honor”, “America’s Black Warriors”, “Women Combat Pilots” and “Clash of Warriors: Saddam vs. Schwarzkopf”

List of programs

• Conspiracy?
• Dogfights
• The Eastern Front: The Gates of Moscow
• The Eastern Front: Turning Point at Stalingrad
• Free Cabanatuan
• Greatest Raids
• Greatest Tank Battles
• Hitler's Collaborators
• Hitler's War: The Lost
• Inside the Great Battles
• The Kamikaze
• The Last Days of WWII
• Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey
• Mail Call
• Okinawa!
• Pacific: The Lost Evidence
• President Lincoln Assassination
• Survival Training
• Surviving the Cut
• Tactical to Practical
• Triggers: Weapons That Changed the World
• The Unholy Battle for Rome
• Warriors
• Weaponology

International

In addition to its carriage in the United States, the channel had previously been launched in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland on March 31, 1999. On March 20, 2010, Military History was added to Virgin Media on channel 236.^[3] Military History was replaced by its sister network, H2, in those countries on May 4, 2013, on both Sky and Virgin Media^[4] in Military History's former channel slots on both platforms.

References