CBS Reality is a European

pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...

channel specializing in reality-based programming, including true crime documentaries and factual entertainment. It is operated by

AMC Networks International AMC Networks International is the division of AMC Networks that operates outside the United States. AMC Networks commissions and distributes TV channels, content and video services. The division's operating companies and business units current ...

in partnership with

Paramount Networks EMEAA Paramount Networks Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia (EMEAA) is a division of Paramount International Networks which is fully owned by Paramount Global. The unit's headquarters are in Madrid, with additional offices in Berlin, Lisbon, Paris, A ...

. The channel was launched on 1 December 1999 as Reality TV, rebranded to Zone Reality in 2006, and adopted the CBS Reality name in 2009 following a joint venture between

CBS Studios International Paramount Global Content Distribution is the international television distribution arm of American media conglomerate, Paramount Global, originally established in 1962 as the international distribution division of Desilu Productions. With the s ...

and

Chellomedia AMC Networks International is the division of AMC Networks that operates outside the United States. AMC Networks commissions and distributes TV channels, content and video services. The division's operating companies and business units currentl ...

. In 2014, AMC Networks acquired Chellomedia, which was subsequently rebranded as AMC Networks International. In recent years, CBS Reality has significantly reduced its presence across Europe. The channel ceased broadcasting in numerous countries, including Portugal, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and much of Central and Eastern Europe. In the UK and Ireland, the channel was rebranded as

True Crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

in late 2023, under the same ownership. As of 2025, CBS Reality remains available only in Poland and Romania, where it continues to operate with localized feeds. Outside of Europe, CBS Reality continues to broadcast in the Middle East and Africa.

History

CBS Reality was launched as

Reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...

on 1 December 1999 as a joint-venture between UPCtv and

Zone Vision AMC Networks International UK (EMEA), formerly Zone Vision, Zone Media, Chello Zone and AMC Networks International Zone (EMEA), is a British television media company founded in 1991 by Chris Wronski and owned by AMC Networks International as it ...

. The Reality TV channel began broadcasting in Poland on 17 March 2000 on the UPC subsidiary Wizja TV satellite platform. The channel started broadcasting to Africa on 1 November 2001. In 2005, Liberty Global, owner of UPC, bought Zone Vision. In 2006, they decided to put all their channels under the unified "Zone" brand. Reality TV became ''Zone Reality''. On 1 August 2012, Chellomedia revealed that the European version of Zone Reality would be rebranded into CBS Reality. In Europe, Zone Reality was rebranded on 3 December 2012.

AMC Networks AMC Networks Inc. is an American mass media and entertainment corporation headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York City. The company owns and operates the AMC cable channel, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and We TV. It also owns the art ho ...

acquired Chellomedia on 2 February 2014. Chellomedia was rebranded as

on 8 July 2014. CBS Reality is available in HD in Poland since 23 September 2019. A dedicated Romanian feed was launched on 13 May 2022, with a different schedule and Romanian adverts. However, promos and trailers are subtitled in Romanian. CBS Reality closed on 1 June 2022 in Russia, and on 1 July 2022 in Portugal. CBS Reality closed in the UK on 22 November 2023 and was rebranded as

. CBS Reality closed on 31 December 2023 in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and in the Netherlands. CBS Reality closed on 3 January 2024 in Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, CIS and Baltic.

Availability

Cable

Cosmote TV Cosmote TV is the corporate name for two pay television services in Greece, owned by Greek telecommunication operator OTE. The two services are as follows: *Cosmote TV via OTT – Streaming platform *Cosmote TV via Satellite – Satellite tele ...

: Channel 452 *

Hot Hot commonly refers refer to: *Heat, a hot temperature *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality Hot or HOT may also refer to: Places *Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand ** Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot Distric ...

: Channel 48 * UPC : Channel 392 *

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

: Channel 372 *

Digi CelcomDigi Berhad ( d.b.a. CelcomDigi), formerly known as Digi.Com Berhad ( d.b.a. Digi), is a communications conglomerate and mobile service provider in Malaysia. Its largest shareholders are Axiata and Norwegian-based Telenor, who hold equal ...

: Channel 153 *

Vodafone Vodafone Group Public Limited Company () is a British Multinational company, multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates Service (economic ...

: Channel 303

IPTV

* Gibtelecom *

: Channel 372 *

Etisalat e&, formerly branded as Etisalat, is an Emirati state-owned telecommunications company. It is the 16th largest in the world by subscribers. On 31 December 2021, Etisalat reported consolidated revenue of AED 53.3 billion and net profits of AED ...

Channel 358

Satellite

* DStv : Channel 132 *

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

: Channel 64 *

StarSat StarSat (formerly TopTV until 31 October 2013) was a South African direct broadcast satellite television service that began broadcasting on 1 May 2010. StarSat was operated by On Digital Media, who were granted a pay-TV license by ICASA in Septe ...

: Channel 170 *

: Channel 370

Logos

Image:Reality TV logo.svg, Reality TV (2002–2006) Image:Zone Reality.svg, Zone Reality (2006–2012) Image:CBS Reality.png, CBS Reality (2012–2017)

References

External links

CBS Reality Europe
{{DEFAULTSORT:CBS Reality AMC Networks International Paramount International Networks Television channels and stations established in 1999 1999 establishments in Europe Defunct television channels in Croatia Defunct television channels in Hungary Defunct television channels in the Netherlands Defunct television channels in Russia Defunct television channels in the United Kingdom