Back9Network was a 24/7

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

lifestyle cable television network and media company based in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, United States. It was developed as an alternative to traditional media's focus on professional golf tournament coverage. Back9Network.com, the online clubhouse for Back9Network, delivered editorial and original content on golf lifestyle. The linear television channel broadcast for six months on

DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...

before closing due to undercapitalization. The company later shed its television assets in bankruptcy reorganization.

History

Back9Network was founded in 2010, first launched online in April 2012, and re-launched its website in January 2013. The network raised private equity from a number of shareholders and received a $5 million loan from the state of Connecticut (which closed in March 2013). In September 2014, Back9Network launched on

in 20 million TV households.

Ahmad Rashad Ahmad Rashad ( ; born Robert Earl Moore; November 19, 1949) is an American sportscaster and former professional football wide receiver. He was the fourth overall selection of the 1972 NFL draft, taken by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was known ...

was among Back9's most prominent names. On February 23, 2015, the channel suspended operations due to a lack of funding, owing $5 million to the state of Connecticut as well as millions more to other creditors. It went through $40 million in capital, and 85 jobs were lost in two rounds of layoffs. In December 2015, the company filed for bankruptcy under

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

and exited bankruptcy in July 2016 under the name Swing by Swing, primarily focused around a mobile app.

References

{{Sports television in the United States

External links

Golf on television Television channels and stations established in 2014 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2015 Sports television networks in the United States Defunct television networks in the United States