List of United States over-the-air television networks

In the United States, for most of the history of broadcasting, there were only four major national broadcasting networks. From 1946-1956 these were ABC, CBS, NBC, and the DuMont Television Network. After that and until 1969, the national networks were ABC, CBS, NBC, and NET. From January, 1970 until September, 1986, the four main national networks were ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS.

Today, more than 20 nation-wide broadcasting networks exist, although some of these are admittedly quite small. Other than PBS, which has the largest number of member stations, the largest broadcast networks remain the traditional Big Three Television Networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC). Many other large networks exist, however, notably Fox, Univision, MyNetworkTV, and The CW. Fox in fact has just a fraction of a percentage point fewer households reached than the Big Three, and is therefore often considered a "major" network among ABC, NBC, and CBS. Some media outlets refer to the "Big Four" television networks, which includes Fox.

Broadcast networks in the United States can be divided into four categories:

• Commercial broadcasting networks (which air English-language programming to a general audience).
• Educational and other non-commercial broadcasting networks (which air English- and some foreign-language programming, intended to be educational or otherwise of a sort not found on commercial television).
• Religious broadcasting networks.
• Spanish-language broadcasting networks.

Each network sends its signal to many local TV stations across the country. These local stations then air the "network feed," and 103,000,000 households across the country tune in. In the case of the largest networks, the signal is sent to over 200 TV stations. In the case of the smallest networks, the signal may be sent to just a dozen or fewer stations.

Table of broadcast networks

All of the networks listed below operate a number of terrestrial television stations. In addition, several of these networks are also aired on cable and satellite services.

Table of broadcast television networks English-language commercial networks
Television Network	Founded	% of U.S. households reached	# of households viewable	Type of network	# of full-power affiliates	# of low-power affiliates & transmitters
PBS	1969	~99.00	~105,579,120	Educational	349	~342
ABC	19481	96.75	103,179,600	Commercial	229	~266
NBC	19461	97.17	103,624,370	Commercial	226	~338
CBS	19481	96.98	103,421,270	Commercial	215	~299
FOX	1986	96.18	102,565,710	Commercial	203	~202
The CW2	September 18, 2006	96.18	102,565,710	Commercial	158 + 5 cable-only stations	~11
MyNetworkTV2	September 5, 2006	96.18	102,565,710	Commercial	128 + 1 cable-only station	~40
Spanish-language commercial networks
Univisión	19863	~14.71	~15,683,030	Spanish Commercial	35	~72?
Galavisión	1979	~1.71	~2,683,030	Spanish Commercial	0	1
TeleFutura	2002	~5.46	~5,825,130	Spanish Commercial	13	~36?
Telemundo	1986	~7.56	~8,065,560	Spanish Commercial	18	~29?
Azteca América	2001	~3.36	~3,584,690	Spanish Commercial	8	~36?
Mas Musica/MTV 315	1998			Spanish Music Videos	>1	9
Telenoticias	1993			Spanish News		>8
LAT TV	2006	~8%	9,122,400	Spanish Commercial/Multicultural	0	5
Multimedios Television		4%		Spanish-Language Commercial Network		12
Specialty and digital terrestrial television networks
i (formerly Pax)	1998	74.25	79,185,730	Commercial/religious/infomercial/family	92	~43
A1	2003	~20.63	22,000,000	Commercial	72	58
The Tube	2006	~5.85	~7,240,000	Music Videos	295
NBC Weather Plus	2004	~76%	~145,450,000	Local Weather Information	975
Classic Arts Showcase	1994			Commercial	>9
Nick Jr.	1989	43%	280,533,000	Pre-School Programming	4553
RTN		~8%	~11,500,000	Commercial	10
OBN	2003			Commercial	0	1+
ImaginAsian	2004	?		Multicultural	1	2
Resort Sports Network	1986	~2%	~2,450,000	Sports and Resort Information	>1
AsiaVision	Unknown	~6%	~9,450,000	Multicultural	3
DW	1953	~6%	~8,450,000	Multicultural	3?
Shopping networks
Shop at Home7	1987			Commercial/Infomercial	>100	~22?
ShopNBC	1992?	?	Unknown	Commercial/Infomercial	4?	3
HSN	1985	?	unknown	Commercial/Infomercial	11?
JewelryTV	1993			Commercial/Infomercial	3?8
America's Store	1989			Commercial/Infomercial	3
Religious television networks
TBN	1973	~21.85	~23,300,500	Religious	52	252
Smile of a Child9	December 24th, 2005	~8.85	~6,300,500	Religious Children's TV	>5
JCTV9	2002?	~2%	~3,210,000	Religious Music Videos	>5
The Church Channel9	2002?	~2%	~3,210,000	Religious	>3
TBN Enlace USA9	2006?	~5%	~6,871,000	Spanish-Language Religious programming	>5
LeSea "WHTV"	198510	~16.81	~17,923,460	Religious	40	>1
Daystar	1982	~15.13	~16,131,120	Religious	36	~25?
Cornerstone Television11	197912	~11%	~15,400,300	Religious	33	44
CTN	1979	~18.49	~19,715,810	Religious	44	58
FamilyNet	Unknown	~9.24	~9,857,910	Religious	22	52[1]
TLN	1973	~3.78	~4,032,780	Religious	9	~4?
GLC	1982	~2.52	~2,688,850	Religious	5	22
UBN	199313			Religious	5	~7?
Almavision	2002	~2.5%	~1,420,000	Spanish Religious	3	~18?
3ABN	1984			Religious	2	>16
TCT	1977	~8%	~11,500,000	Religious	8	11
EWTN	1981			Religious	2	>1
GEB	1987			Religious		1
Word Network	1996?	~2%	~3,210,000	Religious	>3
La Familia Network	2002?	~2%	~3,210,000	Religious	>3
Fe-TV14	2002?	~2%	~3,210,000	Religious	>3
Faith TV		~2%	~3,210,000	Religious	>3
The Hope Channel	October 10 2003	~2%	~3,210,000	Religious	>3
The Worship Network	1992	Unknown	Unknown	Religious	4?	250?

Notes

1. Although ABC, NBC, and CBS were founded prior to 1946, those companies did not begin continuous over the air TV broadcasting until 1946 (NBC) and 1948 (ABC and CBS).
2. On January 24, 2006, CBS and Time Warner announced the merger of The WB and UPN, forming one larger network, The CW in late 2006. See The CW for more information. The CW and MyNetworkTV are carried on cable-only channels and digital subchannels of many currently operating television stations of several different affiliations, ranging from current WB and Fox affiliates, to even NBC and CBS affiliates.
3. Date at which the Spanish International Network (originally founded in 1961) was reorganized and became Univision.
4. On May 1, 2006, UATV suspended its operations while searching for a new satellite distributor. Its stations have been left to search for programming elsewhere until its operations are resumed. The date for resumed operations has not been set.
5. The Tube is aired on 29 digital subchannels only. NBC Weather Plus is aired on many cable/satellite television services, and over-the-air on digital subchannels, only.
6. MTV2 is owned by Viacom, who, before the 2006 split, also owned CBS and UPN. It is largely broadcast at night over low-power television stations, or Independent Stations. It was formerly known as The BOX from the 1980s to 1996.
7. Shop at Home only broadcasts programming overnights, and thus full affiliates of the network carry Jewelry Television during the day.
8. Jewelry Television has around 3 direct affiliates. Most other stations carrying its programming are indirectly affiliated with the network through Shop at Home.
9. JCTV is carried on some analogue and digital television stations, digital subchannels of local Trinity Broadcast Network affiliates, and cable/satellite providers, while Smile of a Child and TBN Enlace USA are carried only on local TBN affiliates. All four networks are owned by TBN.
10. Date at which WHTV acquired two additional stations. World Harvest Television is a product of LeSea Broadcasting.
11. Cornerstone Television isn't considered a network in the traditional definition of a TV network, rather it is a distributor of in-house produced programming. Although the main station, WPCB-Pittsburgh is on many owned and operated translators, its Full Power and LPTV "affiliates" typically air one or two Cornerstone Television produced programs per week scheduled at different times than the main Corerstone station and don't identify themselves as "Cornerstone Television" affiliates.
12. Although Cornerstone Television was founded in 1970, the network did not begin even limited broadcasts until 1979.
13. Though the company was founded prior to 1993, the Unity Broadcasting Network operated just one O&O station and had no affiliates. In 1993, the company added 3 additional low-power stations and became a "network."
14. Fe-TV has temporarily suspended operations for 6 months as they upgrade their network and satellite uplink facilities. ([2])
15. Mas Musica TV was purchased by Viacom in January of 2006. It will merge into MTV 3 on Sept. 25, 2006.

• TVRadioWorld depicts a few other networks also being broadcast, however, these are not confirmed.

English-language American commercial over-the-air television networks

• America One (a successor to Channel America) A small network comprised of over 160 affiliate stations, A1 airs general entertainment programming with a heavy emphasis on primetime Sports programming and events including the Canadian Football League.
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (originally formed from the NBC Blue radio network, which the FCC forced NBC to sell in 1943) The nation's third-largest commercial network, ABC has over 200 affiliate stations and airs original programming seven days a week.
• CBS (originally Columbia Broadcasting System) The nation's second-largest commercial network, CBS has over 200 affiliate stations and airs original programming seven days a week.
• The CW (originally formed from The WB and UPN networks, both of which folded in September, 2006 after 11 years of existance). The nation's fith-largest commercial network, The CW has approx. 100 affiliate stations in the top 100 television markets, and cable operations and digital subchannel operations in smaller television markets.
• Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX/FBC) The nation's fourth-largest commercial network, Fox has nearly 200 affiliate stations and airs original programming seven days a week. Fox broadcasts to a younger audience than the "Big Three". Some FOX stations broadcast news (usually a 10pm/9pm news, others air AM news)
• NBC (originally National Broadcasting Company) (sprung from what was once the NBC Red radio network) The nation's largest and commercial network, NBC has over 200 affiliate stations and airs original programming seven days a week.
• Omni Broadcasting Network (OBN) A very small network composed of low-power TV stations in around 20 markets.
• i (formerly Pax) A mid-sized network which has aired original family-oriented programming as well as repeats from other networks, seven days a week. i's affiliates number around 100.
• Urban America Television (UATV) (a successor to the American Independent Network, AIN) A small network with 60 affiliate stations, UATV airs original programming mixed with older films, rather similarly to America One.
• My Network TV is a start-up network project of News Corporation, which already owns Fox/FBC. Announced in part to fill the void that the merger of the WB and UPN will leave, particularly for Fox-owned stations which had been UPN affiliates in a number of large markets. Its programming consists of English-language telenovelas, which had been readied for the syndication market, when the need and opportunity for a new network was determined.

Additionally, several of the cable-oriented theme channels (e.g. music or shopping channels) have obtained broadcast clearances, usually on low-power stations, in many markets. Among these are MTV2, Home Shopping Network, and ShopNBC.

Several of the religious broadcasting networks have out-of-pattern clearance arrangement with their broadcast affiliates, notably FamilyNet, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and World Harvest Television. And, of course, the Public Broadcasting Service also allows its member stations to run their programs out of pattern.

Nicknames of major American networks are as follows:

• ABC: "Alphabet network" (its name is also the first three letters of the alphabet)
• CBS: "Tiffany network" or "Eye network" (for the network's high-toned reputation and eye logo, respectively)
• My Network TV: "FOX mini-network" (like FOX, the network was formed by News Corporation)
• NBC: "Peacock network" (after its logo)
• UPN defunct: "Shapes network" or "Disc network" (after the network's 1995-2002 and 2002-2006 logos)
• The WB defunct: "Frog network" (after the network's frog mascot)
• PBS The "Head Network"

Spanish-language American commercial over-the-air television networks

• Univisión (UVN) The nation's largest commercial Spanish-language network, Univision has over 120 affiliate stations including over 35 full-power stations many Univision owned-and-operated and airs original programming, as well as imported programming from Mexico and Venezuela seven days a week. Formed in 1986 following the sale of predecessor Spanish International Network (SIN) to Hallmark from Mexico's Televisa due to federal laws against foreign ownership of American television networks.
• Telemundo (TELE, TEL or less commonly TDO) The nation's second-largest commercial Spanish-language network, Telemundo has over 100 affiliate stations including 18 full-power stations and airs original programming seven days a week. In addition, Telemundo operates in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
• Azteca América (AZT) The nation's third-largest commercial Spanish-language network, Azteca America has nearly 90 affiliate stations including 8 full-power stations and airs original and imported programming seven days a week. Azteca America is an off-shoot of Mexico's TV Azteca, though much of the American network's programming airs at different times.
• TeleFutura (TFT) The smallest commercial Spanish-language network, TeleFutura has nearly 30 affiliate stations including 13 full-power stations and airs original and imported programming seven days a week. Owned by Univision.

...Additionally, Televisa, which distributes programming to Univision in the United States, operates in Mexico but certain affiliates broadcast in areas of the U.S. that lie along the border of Mexico.

Any one of the four Spanish-language broadcast networks airs on a national feed carried on cable and satellite systems. Univision is broadcast on more cable systems than the other commercial Spanish-language networks and therefore may be carried in more homes than the 15,000,000 listed. Also, there are Spanish-language independent stations, though these are mainly limited to large markets. Some affiliates of Azteca America carry non-network programming including some English-language programs.

The Spanish-language networks have a fewer amount of affiliates than "The Big Three" English-language networks NBC, ABC and CBS, PBS though they still occupy a large share of the country but with the growing Latino population, more affiliates are being added across the United States.

Unlike the English-language broadcast networks, Univision, Telemundo, Azteca America and Telefutura do not rely on their affiliate stations to program the majority of the broadcast day as the networks themselves program the day's programming. This does not mean these affiliates don't air local programming but the local programs are mainly limited to news with some entertainment programming though these programs do not take up a lot of the daily schedule.

American non-commercial television networks

Public/cultural/educational noncommercial

• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (the largest public broadcasting network, somewhat decentralized, in the U.S.) PBS also has 24-hour/7-day program feeds that some broadcast (both analog and digital) stations subscribe, for some or all of their dayparts: PBS-X (which has Eastern and Pacific Time feeds, and was originally conceived as a cable channel for areas not served by PBS stations), PBS-XD (created for carriage on home satellite services, such as DirecTV and Dish Network, with primetime programming largely delayed by one day so as not to compete too directly with local PBS member stations), PBS YOU or "Your Own University" (devoted largely to adult education, crafts, and public-affairs programming, which ceased operations at the end of January 2006), PBS Kids Channel (devoted to PBS's very popular children's programming; discontinued in favor of a commercial-partnership service called PBS Kids Sprout on October 1, 2005 and likely to be succeeded by a new service PBS Kids Go!, in September 2006), and PBS DT2, PBS's HDTV feed of high-definition and letterboxed standard-definition programming.
• Annenberg/CPB Channel A National educational access channel for public broadcasters and schools it is available on some cable and sattelite packages and is one of the only Television channells in the U.S with an online stream programming that is offered to broadcast stations and cable systems for carriage; many of the broadcast affiliates play its programming in overnights. It shared some programming with PBS YOU
• Deutsche Welle (DW TV) A German noncommercial television service which provides some English-language news programming to public broadcasting stations, and whose programming feed can be seen on a small number of independent public-broadcasting stations for part of their broadcast day.
• Create (sometimes given as Create!), a 24-7 digital-signal network run by syndicator American Public Television in partnership with WGBH, WNET, WLIW, NETA, and PBS, offering crafts and travel programming in part to fill the void left by the shuttering of PBS YOU. The network began transmission in January, 2006, primarily with a number of digital broadcast stations around the U.S.

Religious

• Cornerstone Television
• Daystar Television Network
• Eternal Word Television Network(Roman Catholic, primarily cable-based)
• FamilyNet
• Golden Eagle Broadcasting (Oral Roberts University)
• Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) (ecumenical Christian)
• Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN) (Seventh-day Adventist)
• Total Living Network (TLN)
• Unity Broadcasting Network (5 low-power stations)
• World Harvest Television (WHT)/LeSEA Broadcasting (Family & religious over-the-air and satellite broadcasting)
• God's Learning Channel (Hebrew and Jewish roots of the Christian Faith)

Defunct American television networks

• American Independent Network - Commercial network, predecessor to UATV
• The Box - Music video network in the 1980s to around 1997, was bought out by Viacom/CBS and became part of MTV2.
• Channel America - First commercial network intentionally made up of low-power stations, a model for Pax and AIN/UATV, and the predecessor of America One.
• DuMont Television Network - Commercial network, 1946 – 1956
• Hughes Television Network (HTN) - Started by billionaire Howard Hughes - Active in the '60s and '70s.
• Mizlou Television Network - An occasional over the air broadcast network from 1961 to 1991.
• National Educational Television (NET) - Educational network, 1952 – 1969, predecessor to PBS
• Network One (N1) - A small independent network, similar to PAX/i and America One. Unknown startup date, but it was gone by 1996.
• Overmyer Network (ON) - Commercial network, 1967; also the United Network, not to be confused with UPN.
• PBS Kids - late 1990's-2005. Some of its functions are being taken up by successor PBS Kids Sprout, a commercial cable venture, and a new successor service, PBS Kids Go!, is promised for September, 2006.
• PBS YOU - late 1990's-2006. "Your Own University," this service offered a mix of crafts, college-credit and Standard Deviants instructional programs, and news, commentary, and documentary programming. Many of its affiliates joined Create, a similar if more craft- and travel-focused service administered by American Public Television, as YOU went dark in early 2006.
• Prime Time Entertainment Network (1993-1997)
• Spanish International Network (SIN) - Non-English language commercial network, 1961 – 1986, predecessor to Univisión
• TVS Television Network - From 1960s to the 1990s
• UPN (formerly intialism for "United Paramount Network") - From January 16, 1995 to September, 2006, merged with WB to make The CW.
• Urban America Television (UATV) (a successor to the American Independent Network, AIN) A small network with 60 affiliate stations, UATV airs original programming mixed with older films, rather similarly to America One.
• The WB Television Network - From January 18, 1995 to September, 2006, merged with UPN to make The CW.

See also

• Lists of television channels
• Television in the United States
• List of United States cable and satellite television networks
• List of television stations in the U.S. by call sign (initial letter K)
• List of television stations in the U.S. by call sign (initial letter W)