List of United States pay television channels
The following is a list of cable and satellite networks broadcasting in the United States, organized by genre.
Standard-definition
Arts and entertainment
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A&E | Hearst Corporation, Disney, and NBC Universal | formerly Arts & Entertainment; plays dramas |
| AmericanLife TV Network | Unification Church | formerly The Nostalgia Channel, Nostalgia Television, and Goodlife TV Network |
| Annenberg/CPB Channel | Annenberg Foundation | |
| BBC America | BBC | distributed in US by Discovery Communications |
| Bravo | NBC Universal | |
| Chiller | ||
| Classic Arts Showcase | Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation | |
| CN8 | Comcast | |
| Comedy Central | MTV Networks (Viacom) | A product of the merger of Viacom's HA! TV Comedy Network and The Comedy Channel, owned by Time Warner |
| truTV | Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner) | Known as Court TV from 1991- December 31, 2007 |
| E!: Entertainment Television | Comcast | |
| Fashion TV | Michel Adam Lisowski | |
| Fox Reality | News Corporation | |
| FX | ||
| GSN | Liberty Media and Sony Pictures Entertainment | formerly The Game Show Network |
| Ovation TV | Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation | |
| PBS World | Public Broadcasting Service | |
| Reelz Channel | Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation | movie news, trailers, behind the scenes |
| Sci Fi Channel | NBC Universal | science fiction, fantasy & horror programming |
| Sleuth | crime & mystery programs | |
| SOAPnet | Disney/ABC | current and past soap operas |
| Style Network | Comcast | |
| Superstation WGN | Tribune Company | |
| TBS | Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner) | stands for Turner Broadcasting System; shows mostly comedy |
| Turner Network Television (TNT) | shows mostly drama | |
| TV Guide Network | News Corporation | formerly the Prevue Guide, Prevue Channel and TV Guide Channel |
| TV Land | MTV Networks (Viacom) | |
| USA Network | NBC Universal | drama & comedy |
| Varsity TV | Varsity Media Group, Inc. | high school student-produced programming |
| The 101 | DirecTV, Inc. |
Animation, children, and teen
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anime Network | A.D. Vision | A video on demand and digital network dedicated to Japanese animation and otaku culture |
| BabyFirstTV | ||
| Boomerang | Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner) | |
| Cartoon Network | Adult Swim is one of the programming blocks in the night | |
| Discovery Kids | Discovery Communications | adventurous programs dedicated to minors |
| Disney Channel | Disney/ABC | formerly The Disney Channel |
| Toon Disney | animated Disney shows | |
| Playhouse Disney | programming for preschool-age children | |
| FUNimation Channel | FUNimation Entertainment | anime |
| Jetix | Disney/ABC | |
| Kids & Teens TV | Sky Angel | educational entertainment for kids |
| Nickelodeon | MTV Networks (Viacom) | Nick at Nite is one of the programming blocks in the night. |
| Nick 2 | West Coast feed of Nickelodeon, with custom branding. | |
| Nicktoons Network | formerly Nicktoons TV and Nicktoons | |
| Noggin | Originally aired 6am-6pm opposite The N, but became its own channel on December 31, 2007. | |
| The N | Originally aired 6pm-6am opposite Noggin, but became its own channel on December 31, 2007. | |
| PBS Kids GO! Channel | Public Broadcasting Service, | PBS block launched in October 11, 2004; Network coming soon on Over-the-air, digital cable and satellite; Also airs the "Go! Family" block in evenings; also airs the Spanish-language block |
| PBS KIDS Sprout | Comcast, HIT Entertainment, Public Broadcasting Service, | formerly PBS Kids Channel; programming for little kids |
| qubo | NBC Universal, ION Media Networks, Corus Entertainment, Scholastic Books and Classic Media | programming for little kids |
| Toonami Jetstream | Cartoon Network | coming soon. |
Family
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ABC Family | Disney/ABC | formerly CBN Cable, The Family Channel, and Fox Family |
| America One | USFR Media Group | |
| AMG TV | Access Media Group | |
| Guardian Television Network | Guardian Vision International Inc. | also broadcast as GTN51 in Columbus, Ohio |
| Hallmark Channel | Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company | formerly Faith and Values, and Odyssey |
| ION Television | ION Media Networks | formerly PAX and i |
Gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation-specific
Men
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MavTV | ||
| Spike | MTV Networks (Viacom) | formerly The Nashville Network (TNN); and The National Network (TNN) |
| G4 | G4 Media (Comcast) | formerly G4techTV; formed from merger of TechTV and earlier incarnation of G4 |
Women
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lifetime | Lifetime Entertainment Services | |
| Lifetime Movie Network | ||
| Lifetime Real Women | ||
| Oxygen | NBC Universal | |
| WE: Women's Entertainment | Rainbow Media | formerly Romance Classics. |
African-American
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Black Entertainment Television | BET Networks (Viacom) | Also known as "BET" |
| TV One | Radio One, Comcast, and DirecTV Group |
Asian-American
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AZN Television | International Networks | formerly The International Channel |
| ImaginAsian TV | ImaginAsian Entertainment | (iaTV) |
Hispanic/Latino
LGBT
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| here! | Regent Entertainment | |
| Logo | MTV Networks (Viacom) |
Foreign programming
Channels distributed by International Networks
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| AIT | Nigeria |
| ART | Egypt |
| CCTV-4 | China |
| CTI Zhong Tian Channel | U.S.-based, Chinese language channel |
| MBC | South Korea |
| TVK24 | U.S.-based, Korean language channel |
| RAI International | Italy |
| Channel One | Russia |
| RTN | U.S.-based, Russian language channel |
| Rang-A-Rang | U.S.-based, Persian language channel |
| National Iranian Television | NITV |
| SBTN | U.S.-based, Vietnamese language channel |
| TV5 Monde | France |
| TV Asia | U.S.-based, South Asian language channel |
| TV Japan | U.S.-based, Japanese language channel |
| TVE Internacional | Spain |
| TV Polonia | Poland |
Learning
Lifestyle
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Home | Discovery Communications | To become Planet Green in 2008 |
| Fine Living | E. W. Scripps Company | |
| Food Network | ||
| HGTV | ||
| ION Life | ION Media Networks | |
| TLC | Discovery Communications | formerly The Learning Channel |
| Travel Channel | Discovery Communications | |
| Wine TV |
Movies
Basic
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| American Movie Classics | Rainbow Media | also referred to as AMC |
| Fox Movie Channel | News Corporation | |
| Hallmark Movie Channel | Crown Media Holdings | |
| Independent Film Channel | Rainbow Media | also referred to as IFC |
| Lifetime Movie Network | Lifetime Entertainment Services | |
| MGM Channel | Sony and Comcast | Available on DirecTV only |
| Sundance Channel | CBS Corporation/NBC Universal | |
| Turner Classic Movies | Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner) | also referred to as TCM |
Premium
| Name | Owner | Multiplex Channels |
|---|---|---|
| Encore | Starz Entertainment (Liberty Media) | Encore Encore Action Encore Drama Encore Love Encore Mystery Encore WAM Encore Westerns |
| MoviePlex | MoviePlex RetroPlex IndiePlex | |
| Starz! | Starz Starz Cinema Starz Comedy Starz Edge Starz InBlack Starz Kids & Family Starz HD Starz Games | |
| HBO | Home Box Office, Inc. (Time Warner) | HBO HBO2 HBO Comedy HBO Family HBO Latino HBO Signature HBO Zone |
| Max | Max MoreMax 5StarMax ActionMax OuterMax ThrillerMax WMax @Max | |
| Showtime | Showtime Networks (CBS Corporation) | Showtime Showtime Too Showtime Showcase Showtime Beyond Showtime Extreme Showtime Family Zone Showtime Next Showtime Women The Movie Channel The Movie Channel Xtra (TMC Xtra) Flix The Paramount Channel |
Music
Music audio-only
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DMX | Merged with Muzak, still awaiting FCC approval | |
| Music Choice | Digital audio service available through digital cable | |
| Muzak | Merged with DMX, still awaiting FCC approval | |
| Sirius Satellite Radio | Sirius Satellite Radio | Available on Dish Network channels 6000-6116 |
| XM Satellite Radio | XM Satellite Radio Holdings | Available on DirecTV channels 801-879 |
Music video
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A3 Network | Dance, club and nightlife channel | |
| BET Hip-Hop | BET Networks (Viacom) | |
| BET J | formerly BET Jazz and BET On Jazz | |
| CMT | MTV Networks (Viacom) | |
| CMT Pure Country | formerly VH1 Country | |
| Eye Music Network | ||
| Fuse TV | Rainbow Media | formerly Much Music USA |
| Great American Country | E.W. Scripps Company | also referred to as GAC |
| Harmony Channel | Mood elevating visual music | |
| MTV | MTV Networks (Viacom) | |
| MTV2 | formerly M2 and The Box | |
| MTV Hits | ||
| MTV Jams | formerly MTVX | |
| MTV Tr3s | formerly MTV en Español | |
| mtvU | formerly College Television Network | |
| Retro Jams | ||
| TeleHit USA | Televisa Networks | |
| The SET | Three channels: Bluegrass, Southern Gospel, & Traditional Black Gospel | |
| The Soundtrack Channel | ||
| Tempo TV | MTV Networks (Viacom) | formerly MTV Tempo |
| VH1 | ||
| VH1 Classic | oldies and classic hits | |
| VH1 Soul | R&B, funk, soul, and Motown | |
| Volksmusik TV | ACOS Radio & Television Development Corp. Inc. & BGP-Medien GmbH | Popular German language folk music and Schlager network |
Religious music video
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BET Gospel | BET Networks (Viacom) | |
| Gospel Music Television | southern gospel | |
| Gospel Music Channel | ||
| JCTV | Trinity Broadcasting Network | |
| TVU | Christian rock/hip-hop music videos | |
| Spirit | Contemporary Christian music videos |
Network feeds
East coast
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WABC New York | Disney/ABC | national ABC feed for markets without an ABC affiliate |
| WCBS New York | CBS Corporation | national CBS feed for markets without a CBS affiliate |
| WNBC New York | NBC Universal | national NBC feed for markets without an NBC affiliate |
| WNET New York | Educational Broadcasting Corporation | national PBS feed for markets without a PBS member |
| WNYW New York | Fox Television Stations | national Fox feed for markets without a Fox affiliate |
| WPIX New York | Tribune Company (WPIX, Inc.) |
superstation CW feed for markets without a CW affiliate |
| WSBK Boston | CBS Corporation | superstation feed of independent station; formerly UPN before that network's closure |
| WWOR Secaucus, New Jersey | Fox Television Stations (WWOR-TV, Inc.) |
superstation MyNetworkTV feed for markets without a MyNetworkTV affiliate |
| CW Plus | CBS Corporation 50% Time Warner 50% |
CW feed for markets without a CW affiliate |
| WUFT | University of Florida | WUFT channel 5 is a PBS member station owned by the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. WUFT first signed on the air in November 1958. It is also available on cable in Jacksonville. Therefore, it can be considered a "cable network". |
| VTV | MyNetworkTV feed for markets without a MyNetworkTV affiliate |
West coast
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| KABC Los Angeles | Disney / ABC | national ABC feed for markets without an ABC affiliate |
| KCBS Los Angeles | CBS Corporation | national CBS feed for markets without a CBS affiliate |
| KCET Los Angeles | Community Television of Southern California | national PBS feed for markets without a PBS member |
| KDVR Denver, Colorado | Fox Television Stations | national Fox feed for markets without a Fox affiliate |
| KNBC Los Angeles | NBC Universal | national NBC feed for markets without an NBC affiliate |
| KTLA Los Angeles | Tribune Company (KTLA, Inc.) |
superstation CW feed for markets without a CW affiliate |
| KTTV Los Angeles | Fox Television Stations | national Fox feed for markets without a Fox affiliate |
| KWGN Denver, Colorado | Tribune Company | superstation CW feed for markets without a CW affiliate |
| CW Plus | CBS Corporation 50% Time Warner 50% |
CW feed for markets without a CW affiliate |
News, weather, and information
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ABC News Now | Disney/ABC | |
| CNN | Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner) | |
| CNN Airport Network | Available only in airports | |
| CNN Headline News | formerly CNN2 | |
| CNN International | ||
| Current TV | formerly Newsworld International | |
| Fox News Channel | News Corporation | |
| MSNBC | NBC Universal |
Business news
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bloomberg Television | Bloomberg L.P. | |
| CNBC | NBC Universal | formerly Consumer News and Business Channel |
| CNBC World | ||
| Fox Business Network | News Corporation |
Government news
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C-SPAN | National Cable Satellite Corporation | covers the United States House of Representatives |
| C-SPAN 2 | covers the United States Senate and airs Book TV on weekends | |
| C-SPAN 3 | covers other live events and airs archived historical programming | |
| Pentagon Channel | American Forces Network (US Government) |
Regional news
| Name | Location | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24/7 | Boise, ID | Belo Corporation | |
| Arizona NewsChannel | Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Arizona Capitol Television | Phoenix, Arizona | Arizona State Legislature | also called ACP |
| Bay News 9 | Tampa, Florida | Bright House Networks | |
| Capital News 9 | Upstate New York | Time Warner | |
| Central Florida News 13 | Orlando, Florida | Bright House Networks | |
| CLTV | Chicago, IL | Tribune Company | |
| Comcast Network | Comcast | also called the CN8 | |
| KPLC Channel 7 | Lake Charles, Louisiana | Raycom Media | |
| Local News on Cable | Norfolk, Virginia | Belo Corporation | also called LNC5 |
| New England Cable News | New England | Hearst Corporation & Comcast | also called NECN |
| News 8 Austin | Austin, Texas | Time Warner | |
| News 10 Now | Syracuse, New York | ||
| News 12 Networks * News 12 Long Island * News 12 New Jersey * News 12 Westchester * News 12 Connecticut * News 12 The Bronx * News 12 Brooklyn * News 12 Hudson Valley |
New York Metro | Rainbow Media | |
| News 14 Carolina | North Carolina * Durham * Raleigh * Greensboro * Winston-Salem * High Point * Charlotte |
Time Warner | |
| News Channel 8 | Washington DC regional, Virginia and Maryland | Allbritton Communications | |
| News Now 53 | Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma | Cox Communications & Griffin Communications | |
| NewsWatch 15 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Belo Corporation and Cox Communications | |
| Northwest Cable News | Pacific Northwest | Belo Corporation | |
| NY1 | New York City | Time Warner | |
| Ohio News Network | Ohio | Dispatch Broadcast Group | |
| Pittsburgh Cable News Channel | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Cox Communications | also called PCNC |
| R News | Rochester, New York | Time Warner | |
| RNN | Westchester County, New York | WRNN License Company, LLC | also called WRNN-TV |
| Southern Arizona News Network | Tucson, Arizona | KVOA Communications, Inc. | |
| SNN News 6 | Sarasota, Florida | Sarasota Herald-Tribune | also called Six News Now |
| Texas Cable News | Texas | Belo Corporation | also called TXCN |
Weather
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NBC Weather Plus | Distribution via the digital subchannels of NBC affiliates and digital cable | |
| The Weather Channel | Landmark Communications | |
| Weatherscan |
Public interest
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Colours TV | Black Star Communications | |
| Free Speech TV | Independent | Public, non-profit channel |
| HITN | Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Inc. | Spanish-language |
| Link TV | Link Media, Inc. | formerly World Link TV |
| NASA TV | NASA | |
| PBS-X | Public Broadcasting Service | |
| RFD-TV | RFD Communications, Inc. | |
| STEP Star | ||
| Research Channel | ||
| UCTV | University of California | |
| UWTV | ||
| Pirate TV | Dish Network | A special channel on Dish Network. The channel is accessible only to viewers using illegally modified receivers, and consists solely of a tape loop confirming that the connection is illegal, followed by an offering of amnesty to illegal viewers if they call a special toll-free number and subscribe to the service legally. |
Religious
Shopping
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| America's Values Channel | ||
| Beauty and Fashion Channel | Fashion TV | |
| Cable Response Television | ||
| Interactive Response Television | ||
| Celebrity Shopping Network | ||
| Celebrity Shopping Network 2 | ||
| Cornerstore TV | ||
| Deals | ||
| Direct Shopping Network | ||
| Gem Shopping Network | ||
| Gems TV | ||
| Healthy Living | ||
| Hollywood Celebrity Products | ||
| Home Shopping Network (HSN) | IAC/InterActiveCorp | |
| iDrive TV | ||
| Informericals | ||
| iShop TV | ||
| Jewelry Television | formerly ACN | |
| Men's Channel 2 | ||
| Resort & Residence Channel | ||
| Paid Programming | ||
| QVC | ||
| Shop at Home Network | Jewelry Television | |
| ShopNBC | ValueVision Media | NBC Universal owns 37% of ValueVision |
| Shop Plus | ||
| The Jewelry Channel | ||
| The Shop Network | ||
| TV Superstore | ||
| Ultimate Shopping Network (USN) |
Sports
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Big Ten Network | Big Ten Conference/Fox | midwestern sports |
| CBS College Sports Network | CBS Corporation | formerly CSTV |
| ESPN | Disney/Hearst Corporation | |
| ESPN2 | ||
| ESPN Plus | A service that syndicates college sports to local broadcast and regional cable stations. | |
| ESPN Classic | formerly Classic Sports Network | |
| ESPNews | 24 hour sports news | |
| ESPNU | college sports | |
| ESPN Deportes | Spanish Language sports network | |
| Fox College Sports | News Corporation | |
| Fox College Sports Pacific | formerly Fox Sports Pacific | |
| Fox College Sports Central | formerly Fox Sports Central | |
| Fox College Sports Atlantic | formerly Fox Sports Atlantic | |
| Fox Soccer Channel | formerly Fox Sports World | |
| Fox Sports en Español | formerly Fox Sports Américas | |
| Fuel TV | ||
| GOL TV | Tenfield | |
| The Golf Channel | Comcast | |
| Horse Racing TV | Magna Entertainment Corporation | |
| NBA TV | National Basketball Association | formerly NBA.com TV |
| NFL Network | National Football League | |
| NHL Network | National Hockey League | Launched October 1, 2007 |
| MAN: Maximum Adventure Network | Launched February 1, 2008 | |
| Outdoor Channel | Outdoor Channel Holdings Inc. | |
| Setanta Sports | Setanta Sports Group | |
| SPEED Channel | Comcast/News Corporation | formerly SpeedVision |
| The Sportsman Channel | The Sportsman Channel LLC | |
| The Tennis Channel | IMG and others | |
| TVG Network | The Interactive Horse Racing Network | |
| Versus | Comcast | formerly Outdoor Life Network/OLN |
| Water Channel | MCE Television Networks Inc. | |
| WWE 24/7 | World Wrestling Entertainment |
Regional sports networks
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4SD (Cable 4 San Diego) | Cox Communications | |
| Altitude | Kroenke Sports Enterprises | all Denver sports channel |
| Catch 47 | Bright House Networks | Tampa Bay Sports TV |
| Comcast SportsNet | Comcast |
|
| CSS | Comcast and Charter Communications | Southeast |
| Cox Sports Television | Cox Communications | |
| FSN (Fox Sports Net) | News Corporation through Fox Entertainment Group |
|
| Fighting Sioux Sports Network | University of North Dakota, WDAZ-TV, Midcontinent Communications | Known as FSSN |
| Metro Sports | Time Warner | |
| MASN | Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals | |
| MountainWest Sports Network (the mtn.) | Mountain West Conference (MWC), CBS Corporation, Comcast | |
| MSG Network | Cablevision | |
| MSG Plus | formerly SportsChannel New York and FSN New York | |
| NESN | Boston Red Sox / Boston Bruins | |
| SportsNet New York (SNY) | New York Mets, Time Warner, Comcast | |
| SportSouth | News Corporation | formerly Turner South |
| SportsTime Ohio | Dolan Family (Cleveland Indians owners) | |
| Sun Sports | Fox Sports Net (News Corporation) | formerly Sunshine Network |
| YES Network | Yankee Global Enterprises LLC, Goldman Sachs |
Pay-per-view
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| In Demand | Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner | Pay Per View provider, available through various cable companies |
| TVN Entertainment | TVN Entertainment Corporation | Manages and distributes Video On Demand programming |
Sports packages
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| ESPN Full Court | college basketball |
| ESPN GamePlan | college football |
| MLB Extra Innings | pro baseball |
| MLS Direct Kick | pro soccer |
| NASCAR Hot Pass | pro racing |
| NBA League Pass | pro basketball |
| NCAA Mega March Madness | post season college basketball |
| NFL Sunday Ticket | pro football |
| NHL Center Ice | pro hockey |
Adult-oriented
| Name | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hustler TV | LFP Broadcasting | PPV Service |
| Peephole TV | Media House Enterprises, Inc. |
The network is available on IPTV, Satellite and Mobile Phones
|
| Penthouse TV | Penthouse Media Group / New Frontier Media | |
| Playboy TV | Playboy Enterprises | aka Playboy Channel |
| Playgirl TV | VOD Service | |
| Spice Digital Networks |
| |
| Climax |
| |
| The Erotic Network | New Frontier Media |
|
High-definition (HDTV)
High-definition television channels
Defunct
See also
- List of DirecTV channels
- List of Dish Network channels
- List of Sirius Satellite Radio stations
- List of XM Satellite Radio channels