Movies!
 | |
| Type | Digital broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | Nationwide |
| Founded | January 28, 2013 |
| Owner | Fox Television Stations (21st Century Fox), Weigel Broadcasting (both owning 50%) |
Key people | Neal Sabin, President of Weigel Broadcasting; Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations |
Launch date | May 27, 2013[1] |
Picture format | 16:9 widescreen |
Official website | moviestvnetwork |
Movies! (stylized as MOVIES!) is an American digital multicast television network, that features an emphasis in its programming on feature films. The network is a joint venture between Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting and the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of 21st Century Fox, and is available in the United States through the digital subchannels of broadcast television stations, as well as on select cable systems.[2] Movies! is broadcast 24 hours a day in widescreen.[3]
The network competes with This TV, a similarly-formatted network currently operated by Weigel (whose operational stake in that network will be taken over by Tribune Broadcasting beginning in the fall of 2013) whose primary source of programming is composed of feature films, though that network also broadcasts classic television series and children's programming.
Background
Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting announced the formation of Movies! on January 28, 2013, with a planned launch on Memorial Day 2013.[1][2][3] Movies! officially launched on May 27, 2013 at 8:10 a.m. EDT, with the 1975 Western film Take a Hard Ride as the network’s first telecast, after a short 10-minute clip introducing the network.[4][5]
Programming
Described as presenting "a variety of theatrical motion pictures in a new, viewer and advertiser friendly format, not seen on broadcast television to date",[6] films featured on the network are edited for graphic profanity and inappropriate violent or sexual content, but are not edited for running times to fit in a time block (movie start and end times vary depending on the length of each movie).[4] As a result of the network running films in their original running time with commercials added, feature films that air on Movies! are scheduled in a manner that mirrors the program scheduling of premium cable channels.[5] Some of the films aired on the channel are 20th Century Fox releases, however titles from other studios, such as Paramount Pictures, are shown.[5]
Movies! also airs a three hour block of programs aimed at children each Saturday morning. This is done in order to meet the FCC's required three hour weekly amount of educational children's program content.[5]
Affiliates
Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting launched Movies! in markets served by a station owned-and-operated by the Fox network or Fox's MyNetworkTV. The network is also carried on the digital subchannels of television stations aligned with other broadcasting companies.[7] In Chicago, where Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting each own television stations, Fox-owned WPWR-TV is that market's charter affiliate of the network, over one of Weigel's three stations in that market (WCIU, WWME-CA and WMEU-CD), making Movies! the first Weigel-owned network in which the company's Chicago flagship stations does not serve as affiliates.
List of affiliates
| City | Station[8][9] | Virtual channel |
Owner | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona | |||||
| Phoenix | KUTP | 45.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
California | |||||
| Los Angeles | KCOP-TV | 13.3 | Fox Television Stations | ||
District of Columbia | |||||
| Washington | WDCA | 20.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Florida | |||||
| Ocala-Gainesville | WOGX | 51.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
| Orlando | WRBW | 65.2 | |||
| Tampa-St. Petersburg | WTVT | 13.2 | |||
Georgia | |||||
| Atlanta | WAGA-TV | 5.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Illinois | |||||
| Chicago | WPWR-TV | 50.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Massachusetts | |||||
| Boston | WFXT | 25.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Michigan | |||||
| Detroit | WJBK | 2.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Minnesota | |||||
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | WFTC | 29.4 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Nevada | |||||
| Las Vegas | KLAS-TV | 8.3 | Landmark Media Enterprises LLC | ||
New York | |||||
| New York City | WNYW | 5.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Pennsylvania | |||||
| Philadelphia | WTXF-TV | 29.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Tennessee | |||||
| Memphis | WHBQ-TV | 13.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
Texas | |||||
| Austin | KTBC | 7.2 | Fox Television Stations | ||
| Dallas-Fort Worth | KDFI | 27.2 | |||
| Houston | KTXH | 20.2 | |||
Wisconsin | |||||
| Racine-Milwaukee | WMLW-TV | 49.3 | Weigel Broadcasting | ||
See also
- FX Movie Channel, Movies!'s sister cable network which until mid-2013 carried many of the 20th Century Fox films making up Movies!'s schedule under the "Fox Movie Channel" branding.
- Me-TV, a sister digital broadcast network, owned by Weigel Broadcasting and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, specializing in classic TV series from the 1950s to the 1980s.
- Retro Television Network, a similar digital broadcast network owned by Luken Communications specializing in classic TV series from the 1950s to the 1970s.
- Antenna TV, a digital broadcast network owned by Tribune Broadcasting specializing in classic TV programming and feature film content.
- Bounce TV, a similar digital broadcast network specializing in films and select classic programming aimed at the African-American community.
- This TV, a sister digital broadcast network, owned by Weigel Broadcasting (currently) (Tribune Broadcasting, Fall 2013) and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, specializing in movies from the 1930s to the 2000s, select classic TV series (mainly from the MGM/United Artists library) and select children's programming.
References
- ^ a b Malone, Michael (March 25, 2013). "This May Explain Why We Have a Shirtless 'Magnum, P.I.' On Our Cover Today". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ a b "Fox Stations, Weigel Launching Movies!". TV News Check. January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ a b Malone, Michael (January 28, 2013). "Fox O&Os, Weigel Launch Movies! Digi-Net". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ a b Weigel introducing new MOVIES! channel Monday Retrieved May 27, 2013
- ^ a b c d Movies TV Network -Schedule Retrieved May 27, 2013
- ^ Feder, Robert (January 29, 2013). "Weigel creates new digital network for Fox TV stations". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ Eck, Kevin (January 31, 2013). "FOX To Debut All Movie Network for Local TV Digital Subchannels". TV Spy. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ "Stations for Network - Movies!". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ Where to Watch Movies! TV Network
