USA Network (or simply USA) is an American
basic cable
Cable television first became available in the United States in 1948. By 1989, 53 million American households received cable television subscriptions, with 60 percent of all U.S. households doing so in 1992. A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found ...
television channel owned by the
NBCUniversal Media Group
NBCUniversal Media Group is the television and streaming arm of NBCUniversal, and the direct descendant and successor of the former division NBCUniversal Television Group, which existed from 2004–19.
History NBC Broadcasting
In 2006, NBCUnive ...
division of
Comcast
Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
's
NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...
. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports cable television channels.
It was relaunched under its current name on April 9, 1980, and in the years since then, USA steadily gained popularity through its original programming, a long-established partnership with WWF/
WWE and, for many years, limited
sport
Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
s programming. USA increased its sports coverage significantly in 2022, after the shutdown of
NBCSN, and now serves as the main cable component of
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...
.
, USA Network is available to approximately 70 million pay television households in the United States, down from its 2011 peak of 100 million households.
History
Madison Square Garden Sports Network (1977–1980)
USA Network was launched on September 22, 1977, as the Madison Square Garden Sports Network (not to be confused with the
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
-area
regional sports network now known as the
MSG Network). The network was founded by cable provider
UA-Columbia Cablevision and the
Madison Square Garden Corp. From its first two decades, the network was run by chairwoman and CEO
Kay Koplovitz.
The channel was one of the first national cable television channels, utilizing
satellite
A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
delivery as opposed to the then-industry standard
microwave relay to distribute its programming to cable systems. Unlike other cable networks at the time, it also was the first to rely greatly on advertising revenue. At launch the network mostly broadcast sporting events from Madison Square Garden to a national audience (sharing programming with the aforementioned MSG Network). The network quickly added a mix of college and less well-known professional sports held at other venues, similar to those found during the early years of
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
. In 1978, children's programming was also added to the lineup.
MCA/Paramount ownership (1981–1994) and Time ownership (1981–1987)
On April 9, 1980, the channel changed its name to USA Network. It also added a children's program called ''
Calliope
In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; ) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses".
Mythology
Calliope had two famous sons, OrpheusH ...
'' to its schedule and some
talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
s in an effort to appeal to women. The new network also offered a programming block from
Black Entertainment Television (which would eventually launch as its own network three years later, but now owned by Paramount as of 2001) and carried
C-SPAN
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...
during the day.
In 1981, ownership of the network changed. First,
Time Inc. agreed to buy UA-Columbia's share of the network contingent upon Madison Square Garden owner
Gulf + Western transferring its share of the network to its
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
division. Shortly thereafter
MCA Inc. also bought into the network with the three companies each owning an equal share. The three partners had a
non-compete clause that would prevent them from owning other basic cable networks independently from the USA joint venture; however, it was acknowledged that Time also owned powerful USA Network rival
Home Box Office.
This clause would cause Time Inc. to drop out of the venture in 1987, as the company attempted (but failed) to buy
CNN from
Ted Turner
Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...
and run it independently from USA. MCA and Paramount subsequently became the sole owners of the channel (being a 50/50 joint venture between the two companies).
C-SPAN stopped sharing satellite space with USA on April 1, 1982, after having launched its own 24-hour feed two months earlier. USA began operating on a 24-hour schedule, programming its new daytime block with the British soap opera ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
'', a health-oriented show named ''Alive and Well'', and an afternoon movie.
In fall 1982, the channel began running a mix of 1960s and 1970s
Hanna-Barbera cartoons each weekday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. as part of the new ''
USA Cartoon Express'' block, with sports programming airing after 7:00 p.m., which were rebroadcast during the overnight hours. Weekends featured a mix of movies, some older drama series and talk shows during the morning hours, and sports during the afternoons and evenings. Overnights consisted of old low-budget films and film shorts, and music videos as part of a show called ''
Night Flight.''
By August 1983, then-Paramount head
Barry Diller became more focused on having the network increase its relationship with the
Madison Square Garden Network.
This included a deal which made the USA Network a source for the Madison Square Garden Network programming and having the network also being more tied to sporting organizations which could air events in
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
.
Between 1984 and 1986, however, USA's programming focus began shifting away from sports,
and shifted towards general entertainment programs not found on broadcast stations, including some less common network drama series, situation comedies and cartoons. Nevertheless, the network would still focus on airing
World Wrestling Federation programs.
For the 1985–1986 season, the channel had four hours of original and exclusive shows. One original series from the 1985–1986 season was the comedy ''
Check It Out!''. USA, wanting to become the flagship cable channel and compete directly with the broadcast networks, committed to 26 half-hours of part exclusive off-broadcast network and part original programming for the 1986–1987 season at an increase of $30 million. In one case, the channel picked up ''
Airwolf'' for 58 off-network episodes, while commissioning 24 new episodes without the original cast.
One tradition on USA was an afternoon lineup of
game show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
reruns mixed in with several original low-budget productions that aired over the years. It began in October 1984 with reruns of ''
The Gong Show'' and ''
Make Me Laugh.'' In September 1985, the network began airing its first original game show, a revival of the mid-1970s game show ''
Jackpot;'' two more original game shows, ''
Love Me, Love Me Not,'' and a revival of the 1980 series ''
Chain Reaction,'' were added in September 1986. More shows were progressively added soon afterward such as ''
The Joker's Wild,'' ''
Tic-Tac-Dough,'' ''
Press Your Luck
''Press Your Luck'' is an American television game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. Contestants answer trivia questions to earn "spins" on a randomly cycling game board. The board's spaces display cash, prizes, extra spins, sp ...
,'' ''
High Rollers,'' and ''
Hollywood Squares'' (with
John Davidson as its "Square-Master", or host), along with ''
Wipeout,'' ''
Face the Music,'' and ''
Name That Tune.'' In June 1987, the channel debuted another original game show, ''
Bumper Stumpers'' (all four USA original game shows in this era were taped in Canada). When it began, the game-show block ran for an hour, but it expanded significantly the following year. By 1989, the network ran game shows Monday through Fridays from noon to 5:00 p.m. eastern. USA also aired late night reruns of
Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...
soap operas ''
The Edge Of Night'' from August 5, 1985, to January 19, 1989, along with ''
Search For Tomorrow'' from 1987 until the summer of 1989. In January 1989, USA debuted ''
USA Up All Night,'' a showcase of low-budget feature films that aired as part of its weekend overnight schedule. ''Up All Night'' became a cult favorite among viewers for the comedic wraparound segments that were usually shown during breaks leading into (and sometimes, out of) commercials and between films that were hosted by comedian
Gilbert Gottfried and model/actress
Rhonda Shear, the latter of whom had replaced original co-host Caroline Schlitt in 1991. Though this program was discontinued on March 7, 1998, late-night movie telecasts on USA continued to be branded under the "Up All Night" banner until 2002.
Short news updates, branded as ''USA Updates,'' were broadcast early on, from 1989 until 2000. These segments were first produced out of
KYW-TV in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, as the station had already produced a number of syndicated news services (including the
Group W Newsfeed) and
Steve Bell, the former newsreader on ''
Good Morning America,'' was employed as a primary anchor at the station. By 1993, production of USA Updates had been taken over by the
All News Channel (operated as a joint venture of
Hubbard Broadcasting's and
Viacom's CONUS Communications); Bell had left KYW in 1992, when KYW's news operations were heavily revamped in response to falling ratings. Via the ANC connection, USA also aired the financial news program ''
First Business'' (then produced by CONUS) at 6:30am weekday mornings for a time (the network had previously carried
''Wall Street Journal''-produced financial news updates and a late-night report in the 1980s). The ANC-produced updates continued through 2000 (ANC was suffering heavily around this time due to competition with other cable news channels such as
CNN and the then-similarly formatted
Headline News, and ended up shutting down in 2002); USA Network has not carried any news programming since the news updates were removed.
USA was the first basic cable channel to pre-empt the syndicated television market by purchasing a package of 26 films from
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
's
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures was an American film distribution label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Feature films released under the Touchstone label were produced and financed by Walt Disney Studios, and featured ...
library in October 1989. To obtain the package, it spent an estimated $50 million to $60 million, with films including such box office hits as ''
Dead Poets Society,'' ''
Good Morning, Vietnam,'' and ''
Three Men and a Baby.''
The tradition of game show reruns continued into the 1990s with the ''
$25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids,'' the early 1990s revivals of ''
The Joker's Wild'' and ''
Tic-Tac-Dough,'' and other well-known shows such as ''
Scrabble
''Scrabble'' is a word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a Board game, game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, re ...
,'' ''
Sale of the Century,'' ''
Talk About,'' and ''
Caesars Challenge.'' Additionally, two more original game shows were added in June 1994; these were ''Free 4 All'' and ''Quicksilver.'' In September 1991, the block was reduced to three hours, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern. However, an additional hour was added in March 1993. In November 1994, the game show block was cut back to only two hours, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
On September 24, 1992, USA launched a sister network, the Sci-Fi Channel (now
Syfy), focusing on
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
series and films.
In January 1993, the channel began showing ''
WWF Monday Night Raw'', which was the first weekly WWF program on USA to air in front of a live audience. In September 1993, USA adopted a new on-air look centering on the slogan "The Remote Stops Here", with flat graphics suggesting a television camera's in-lens symbols and music consisting of electric guitar and synthesized noises, though the movie presentation openers were retained from the previous design.
USA Networks ownership (1994–2002)
In 1994, Paramount Pictures parent Paramount Communications was sold to
the original iteration of Viacom; the following year, MCA was acquired by
Seagram. In April 1996, Viacom, which also owned
MTV Networks, launched a new classic television network called
TV Land. MCA subsequently sued Viacom for
breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other part ...
, claiming that it had violated the non-compete clause in its joint venture agreement with MCA. A judge presiding over the case sided with MCA, and Viacom subsequently sold its stake in USA and the Sci-Fi Channel to Seagram for $1.7 billion. In turn, Seagram sold a
controlling interest in the networks to
Barry Diller – who was previously head of Paramount Pictures when the company owned part of the network in the early 1980s and who was also credited with putting together the 1981 agreement which resulted in joint Paramount-Time-MCA ownership of the network
– in February 1998, which led to the creation of
USA Networks, Inc.; the company also merged the cable channels with Diller's existing television properties including the
Home Shopping Network
HSN, Inc. an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group), which also owns Catalog merchant, catalog company Cornerstone Brands. It is ...
and its broadcasting unit Silver King Broadcasting (which was restructured as
USA Broadcasting, and eventually sold its stations to
Univision Communications in 2001 to form the nucleus of
Telefutura/UniMás).
In July 1995, USA began simulcasting the business news channel
Bloomberg Information TV Monday thru Saturday from 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. Eastern; in 2004, the Bloomberg simulcast moved to
E!, where it ran until 2007 (USA was actually the second television network to simulcast Bloomberg's programming, the now-defunct
American Independent Network also carried a simulcast of the channel during the mid-1990s). Bloomberg purchased the airtime from USA. In October 1995, the network dropped the entire game show block; it was replaced with a block called ''USA Live'', which carried reruns of ''
Love Connection'' and ''
The People's Court'', with live hosted wraparound segments between shows; that block was dropped by 1997 (some of the game shows that USA had aired can still be seen on
GSN and
Buzzr).
On June 17, 1996, the network unveiled a new on-air appearance, which included the introduction of a new logo (incorporating a star ridged into the "U" of the now-serifed "USA" logotype, replacing the Futura-typeface logo that had been in use since the network's start under the USA Network name in 1980), and a three-note jingle. Network IDs, feature presentation intros for movies and promo graphics were based around a behind-the-scenes look at the fictional "USA Studios"; some of the IDs showed people in the control room, while a studio that was being set-up by a crew was the backdrop for the "Tonight" menu that displayed the evening's schedule. Opening sequences leading into movie telecasts showed people running through the "USA Studios Film Vault". The new look coincided with a shift in focus, more towards off-network reruns and original programming; game shows and court shows were dropped from the schedule, while cartoons were phased out. USA Studios also became the branding for USA-produced programming at this point. This logo was replaced in July 1999 in favor of a 'USA flag'-styled logo (whose design was slightly modified in 2002).
In September 1996, USA replaced the ''USA Cartoon Express'' with the action-oriented children's block, ''
USA Action Extreme Team''; the channel discontinued its animation block outright in September 1998 (other than airing the first-run teen sitcom ''
USA High'' and reruns of ''
Saved by the Bell: The New Class'' from 1997 to 2001, USA has not aired children's programming since that time), and replaced it with a block called "USAM", which advertised itself as "Primetime Comedy in the Morning". The block mainly featured sitcoms originally aired on network television that were cancelled before making it to
100 episodes (such as ''
The Jeff Foxworthy Show
''The Jeff Foxworthy Show'' is an American sitcom television series created by Tom Anderson, starring comedian Jeff Foxworthy and based on Foxworthy's stand-up comedy routine. The series originally aired on ABC from September 12, 1995, to May ...
'', ''
Hearts Afire'' and ''
Something So Right''); however, for a time, the block also included the 1989–1994 episodes of the
Bob Saget run of ''
America's Funniest Home Videos''. "USAM" was discontinued in 2002; by that point, the only sitcoms airing on USA were daytime and late night reruns of ''
Martin'' and overnight airings of ''
Living Single
''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Denise Lee that aired for five seasons on the Fox network, from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centers on the lives of six New York City friends who share perso ...
'', ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...
'' and ''
Wings'', with drama series and movies populating much of the channel's daytime and primetime schedule.
In 2000, USA Networks bought Canadian media company North American Television, Inc. (a joint partnership between the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
and
Power Corporation of Canada), owner of cable television channels
Trio and
Newsworld International (the CBC continued to handle programming responsibilities for NWI until 2005, when eventual USA owner
Vivendi sold the channel to a group led by
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
, who relaunched it as
Current TV
Current TV was an American television channel which broadcast from August 1, 2005, to August 20, 2013. Prior INdTV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, with Ronald Burkle, each held a sizable stake in Current TV. Comcast and DirecTV each held a small ...
). One major shock happened when USA lost the broadcasting rights of the WWF to Viacom in June 2000; ''Raw'' (which had been retitled ''Raw is War'') was moved to
TNN in September of that year.
Vivendi ownership (2002–2004)
In May 2002, USA Networks sold its non-shopping television and film assets (including USA Network, the Sci-Fi Channel, Trio, USA Films (which was rechristened as
Focus Features) and
Studios USA) to
Vivendi Universal for $10.3 billion. USA and the other channels were folded into Vivendi's Universal Television Group.
In July 2002, the channel debuted ''
Monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
'', a comedy-drama
police procedural
The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...
that starred
Tony Shalhoub
Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; ; born October 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for a variety of roles ranging from comedic to dramatic on stage and screen. He has received several accolades including five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, s ...
as
Adrian Monk
Adrian Monk, portrayed by Tony Shalhoub, is the title character and protagonist of the USA Network television series ''Monk (TV series), Monk''. He is a renowned former homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department. He has obsessive� ...
, a former
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
police inspector-turned-consultant who suffers from various obsessive-compulsive behaviors that include the ability to pay attention to detail when solving crimes. It became one of USA Network's first breakout hit series, and ran for eight seasons until it ended on December 4, 2009.
NBCUniversal/Comcast ownership (2004–present)
In 2003,
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston.
Over the year ...
(GE) agreed to merge
NBC and its sibling companies with
Vivendi Universal's North American-based filmed entertainment assets, including
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
and
Universal Television
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...
Group in a multibillion-dollar purchase, renaming the merged company
NBC Universal. GE retained an 80% ownership stake in the new company, while Vivendi retained a 20% stake. NBC Universal officially took over as owner of USA and its sibling cable channels (except for Newsworld International) in 2004. That year, USA premiered the sci-fi series ''
The 4400''.
"Characters Welcome", the "blue sky" era (2005–2016)
In 2005, USA Network introduced a new logo and associated marketing campaign, "Characters Welcome". The slogan was designed to help emphasize the wide range of programming the network offered, and to help USA Network establish itself more prominently as a brand. The launch of the campaign featured promos themed around the daily lives of characters from the network's programs.
To contrast itself from the "grittier" offerings of other mainstream cable networks, USA Network's original programming during this era was marked by a focus on comedic and "optimistic" action and
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
series, referred to as a "blue sky" approach. Notable examples of this programming strategy included ''
Psych
''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened o ...
'' (2006), ''
Burn Notice'' (2007), and ''
Royal Pains'' (2009).
In October 2005, ''Raw'' returned to USA Network after Viacom did not renew its broadcasting agreement with the WWE.
On May 13, 2007 (in advance of NBC's 2007–08 fall upfronts presentation), NBC Universal announced that new episodes of ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' would be moved to USA Network beginning with the drama's seventh season in the fall of 2007; episodes would then be re-aired later in the season on NBC, most likely to shore up any programming holes created by the cancellation of a failed new series. Although this is not the first time a broadcast series has moved to cable (USA had acquired first-run rights to the revival of ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...
'' from NBC in
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
, while ''
The Paper Chase'' had moved beforehand from
CBS to
Showtime in 1983), it marked the first time that a series which moved its first-run episodes from broadcast to cable television would continue to air episodes on a broadcast network while it was still a first-run program. On December 7, 2007, it was announced that USA Network would continue broadcasting first-run episodes of ''Raw'' through at least 2010.
The June 1, 2008, premiere of ''
In Plain Sight'', starring
Mary McCormack, was USA's highest-rated series premiere since the 2006 debut of ''Psych'', with 5.3 million viewers. In early 2009, USA Network acquired the network television rights for 24 recent and upcoming
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
films, including ''
Duplicity'', ''
Funny People'', ''
Frost/Nixon'', ''
Land of the Lost'', ''
Milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
'', and ''
State of Play''.
In 2011, control and majority ownership of then-parent
NBC Universal passed from
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston.
Over the year ...
to
Comcast
Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
. Comcast would buy out GE's remaining ownership in NBCU two years later. USA Network was considered the key piece of the NBC-Comcast merger; Wunderlich Securities analyst Matthew Harrigan projected that USA contributed $9.5 billion to NBCUniversal's $44.8 billion value, with NBC contributing only $408 million. In 2014, the channel had dropped 18% in viewership and out of first place among the major cable channels. USA has been a key NBCUniversal asset accounting for one-third of advertising revenue for
NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group and $1 billion in annual earnings over the past few years.
In April 2015, it was announced that ''
WWE SmackDown'' would move to USA from sister network
Syfy.
End of the "blue sky" era, expansion of sports coverage (2016–present)
In April 2016, USA Network unveiled a new branding campaign and slogan, "We the Bold". The campaign was designed to reflect the channel's current focus on "rich, captivating stories about unlikely heroes who defy the status quo, push boundaries and are willing to risk everything for what they believe in". USA had quietly discontinued the "Characters Welcome" tagline in the lead-up to the rebranding, whose associated programming shift was led by the premieres of ''
Mr. Robot'' and
''Colony''. ''
Variety'' reported that the new programming strategy was designed to appeal to themes of "authenticity, resiliency, bravery and innovation".
The ''Washington Post'' felt that the re-branding symbolically marked the end of USA's "blue sky" era, as the channel had been increasingly producing more "intense" series with darker themes.
NBCUniversal marketing executive Alexandra Shapiro explained that the "Characters Welcome" campaign and associated programming was reflective of the "weirdly optimistic" mood of the network's key demographic at the time.
In August 2016, NBCUniversal acquired the television rights to the
''Harry Potter'' film franchise from 2018 through 2025, including the main film series and their spin-offs (with the first, ''
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'', to have its cable premiere in 2019), and other content. On cable, the films are to primarily be aired by USA Network and Syfy, and the deal also includes the ability for Universal Parks & Resorts to offer "exclusive content and events" related to the franchise (Universal Parks had already been involved in ''
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter'' attractions). The deal succeeded one with
Freeform; ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' reported the deal was valued around $250 million over the length of the agreement, making it one of the highest-valued film franchise deals.
To launch the new rights, Syfy and USA both aired ''Harry Potter''
marathons over the July 13–15, 2018 weekend, airing all eight films (including directors' cuts of the first six) with limited commercial interruption.
Amid the growth of streaming services (including NBCUniversal's newly launched
Peacock) and the decline of traditional cable television, USA Network began to cut back on scripted programming, in favor of
reality
Reality is the sum or aggregate of everything in existence; everything that is not imagination, imaginary. Different Culture, cultures and Academic discipline, academic disciplines conceptualize it in various ways.
Philosophical questions abo ...
shows,
television events (including scripted
miniseries
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
), and live programming—the latter including
WWE programs and sporting events. In 2020, the network cancelled ''
Dare Me'', ''
The Purge'', ''
The Sinner'', and ''
Treadstone''. With the announcement that
NBCSN would shut down on December 31, 2021, it was subsequently revealed that USA and
Peacock would collectively assume its remaining sports broadcasts.
In December 2023, ''Deadline Hollywood'' reported that USA Network was considering a return to original scripted series in the vein of the "blue sky" era, citing the recent resurgence in the popularity of ''
Suits'' (which concluded in 2019) after the series was acquired by Netflix. The channel was reportedly targeting shows with budgets of $2-3 million per-episode. In June 2024, USA Network would order ''
The Rainmaker'', which was reported to be the first series to be produced via this plan.
In November 2024, Comcast announced its intent to spin off most of NBCUniversal's cable properties—including USA Network—as a new public company, with its name later announced as
Versant. Despite the separation, it will still carry NBC Sports programming covered under existing commitments.
Programming
USA Network has achieved a viewership foothold with its original programming; this began in the 1990s with initial hits such as ''
Silk Stalkings'', ''
Duckman'' and ''
La Femme Nikita'', which were gradually followed in the following two decades by series such as ''
Monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
'', ''
Psych
''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened o ...
'', ''
Shooter'', ''
White Collar'', ''
Mr. Robot'', ''
Suits'', ''
Burn Notice'' and ''
Royal Pains''.
In addition to its original productions, the network airs syndicated reruns of current and former network series such as ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''
Chicago P.D.'', ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (which spent the final four seasons of its run as a first-run program on USA) and ''NCIS''. The network also broadcasts a variety of films from the
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
library and select films from other movie studios (such as
Sony Pictures Entertainment,
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
,
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and
Warner Bros. Entertainment), airing primarily as part of its overnight and weekend schedule, and occasionally during primetime on nights when original programming or marathons of its acquired programs are not scheduled.
Sports programming
USA Network has a longstanding history with sports, dating back to its existence as the
Madison Square Garden Network. The network carried
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
games on
Thursday nights from 1979 to 1983, and the ''
NHL on USA'' ran from 1979 to 1985. ''
College Football on USA'' ran from 1980 to 1986, and its telecast of the
1981 Liberty Bowl was the first college
bowl game to be exclusively broadcast on cable television. The ''
NBA on USA'' also aired from 1979 to 1984, the first time that the NBA had a cable television partner.
For 17 years from 1981 to 1998, USA aired a weekly
boxing
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
show, ''
USA Tuesday Night Fights'', which showcased bouts featuring up-and-coming boxers. ''
Tennis on USA'' aired professional tournaments in the United States from 1984 to 2008, and was the longtime cable home of the
US Open before its cable television rights moved to
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%).
ESPN2 was initially ...
and the
Tennis Channel in 2009. The ''
PGA Tour on USA'' covered the opening two rounds of the
Masters Tournament from 1982 to 2007,
Ryder Cup matches from 1989 to 2010, and various other events.
The USA Network aired most games of the NFL-run
World League of American Football
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
(later NFL Europe/Europa) in its first two seasons of operation in 1991 and 1992; one innovation introduced for the network's WLAF telecasts was the in-helmet camera.
Upon the 2004 purchase of Vivendi Universal by NBC, USA's sports division was immediately merged into
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...
. Since
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, the network has broadcast select events from the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
, as part of an expansion of NBCUniversal's broadcast rights to the
Summer
Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
and
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...
that allowed several of the company's cable channels rights to telecast Olympic events live (some of which are later re-aired on
tape delay on NBC as part of the network's primetime and late night Olympic coverage). USA Network also carried games from the
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries.
The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey to ...
in 2006 and 2010.
During the
2014 Winter Olympics, USA aired
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
matches in lieu of sister channel
NBCSN, due to that channel's full devotion to carrying coverage of Olympic events. After ratings success with those matches, USA began to air mid-afternoon Saturday games weekly during the 2015–16 season. USA also participates in NBC Sports' broader effort of carrying all ten
Survival Sunday matches across its numerous channels during the final matchday of the Premier League season. Starting in 2015, USA Network was similarly incorporated into NBC's coverage of the
Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 2016, USA aired three
NASCAR races as overflow during the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
.
In September
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, a
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football game was scheduled for USA Network due to NBC's commitments to the
2020 U.S. Open. Coverage of a
primetime game against Clemson on November 7, 2020, was also briefly moved from NBC to USA Network due to
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
coverage of a victory speech by
president-elect Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
.
With the shutdown of NBCSN at the end of 2021, USA Network once again became the main cable outlet of NBC Sports in 2022, with sports properties such as the Premier League, NASCAR,
and the Olympics (including U.S. Olympic trials) moving to USA at this time. The
U.S. Open,
U.S. Women's Open,
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
, and the
Women's Open would move their early-round telecasts from Golf Channel to USA beginning in 2022. USA Network also carried eight games as part of the inaugural season of the revived
USFL, and is one of the broadcast partners of the
SuperMotocross World Championship and its
Supercross and
Motocross feeder series.
From 1984 to 2016, USA Network was the longtime home of the
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Professional wrestling
USA Network is also the home of the professional wrestling company
WWE. WWE (formerly WWF) has had a longstanding relationship with USA Network going back to 1977 when broadcasts of Madison Square Garden events would air on USA Network. The first weekly WWE show on USA Network debuted on September 4, 1983, with ''
WWF All American Wrestling''. ''
WWF Prime Time Wrestling'' broadcast on USA Network from 1985 to 1993 until it was superseded by WWE's flagship cable program ''
Raw''. The series originally aired on USA Network from its debut in January 1993 (when the promotion was known as the World Wrestling Federation) until the series moved to
TNN in September 2000, before returning to USA Network in October 2005.
On January 7, 2016, WWE's second flagship program ''
SmackDown'' moved to USA Network from
Syfy. In 2018, USA Network renewed its rights to ''Raw'' for five additional years, but lost the rights for ''SmackDown'' to
Fox beginning in October 2019. In August 2019, WWE announced that its tertiary weekly program ''
WWE NXT'' would return to USA Network on September 18, 2019, airing on Wednesday nights in a two-hour live format.
In September 2023, it was announced that ''SmackDown'' would return to USA in 2024 under a five-year deal with NBCUniversal, which would also include a slate of four annual primetime specials on NBC per-year. In November 2023, it was then announced that ''NXT'' would move to
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
, and in January 2024 it was announced that ''Raw'' would move to
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
in 2025.
High definition
High-definition simulcasts of USA Network sports coverage, and reruns of original programs produced in the format, were originally carried by
Universal HD. In 2007, USA Network launched a HD feed.
International
Canada
In February 2007,
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications Inc. was a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian telecommunication, telecommunications company which provided telephone, Internet, television, and mobile services. The company was founded in 1966 as Capital Cable Televisio ...
submitted an application to the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), to carry the USA Network in Canada as a foreign service that would be eligible for carriage by domestic cable and satellite providers (and to automatically allow all English-language general interest cable networks from the United States into Canada). However, because of programming rights issues with other Canadian
specialty channels, certain programs would be subjected to
blackout restrictions, including ''
WWE Raw''.
In September 2007, the CRTC refused Shaw's request to carry USA Network in Canada on the basis that the channel carried too much programming that overlapped with the English language
digital cable specialty channel Mystery TV (which is then owned by
Canwest – later
Shaw Media – and formerly,
Groupe TVA). However, on September 20, the CRTC stated that it would reconsider their denial of the eligible foreign carriage proposal for USA Network at a later date, when Shaw instead offered to carry the channel on the digital cable tiers of its Shaw Cable systems. In spite of this, the CRTC has since rejected the restructured proposal on the basis that USA's programming would be competitive with Mystery TV.
On October 17, 2024, NBCUniversal announced an agreement with
Bell Media
Bell Media Inc. (Canadian French, French: ) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (also known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada). Its operations include nati ...
to launch a Canadian version of USA Network on January 1, 2025. The channel is a relaunch of Bell's
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience.
It init ...
, following that company's loss of rights to the former
Discovery, Inc. channel brands to
Rogers Communications. This iteration of USA Network will still be maintained by CTV Specialty Television—a joint venture of
Bell Media
Bell Media Inc. (Canadian French, French: ) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (also known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada). Its operations include nati ...
and
ESPN Inc.—stemming from the channel having originally been established by the ownership group of sister sports network
TSN; and Warner Bros. Discovery (who also owns 20% of the channel). The new channel will also mirror some of USA Network's sports offerings via content sublicensed from TSN, including
All Elite Wrestling and
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level NASCAR Cup Series, Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a Undercard, support ...
coverage. Even with the pivot to a general entertainment format, some of the original factual programming it aired as Discovery (including documentary series ''
Mayday'' and reality show ''
Highway Thru Hell'') remain on USA Network's schedule.
Latin America
Regional versions of USA Network previously operated in certain Latin American countries (such as Argentina and Brazil); in September 2004, most of these services were renamed under the
Universal Channel
Universal TV, formerly Universal Channel, is an international pay television network specializing in movies and television series in the Thriller (genre), thriller, Drama (genre), drama, comedy, Horror (genre), horror, Crime (genre), crime and in ...
banner to take advantage of the more well-known brand, and to reduce the awkwardness of a channel branded with the initials of another nation.
In 2023 it was announced by NBCUniversal that the channel will be revived in Latin America during the Q4 of 2023 after 19 years of absence in the region. The channel will broadcast dramas like ''
Briarpatch'' and ''
Dr. Death,'' also the channel will be the official broadcaster of the
Miss Universe pageant which was broadcast on November 18. USA Network was relaunched on October 1, 2023, replacing
Syfy in the region.
Logos
References
External links
*
{{ViacomCBS
Television networks in the United States
English-language television stations in the United States
Former Viacom subsidiaries
Former joint ventures
NBC Sports
NBCUniversal networks
Television channels and stations established in 1977
Gulf and Western Industries