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Esquire Network

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Esquire Network
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
Owner

Esquire Network (also abbreviated EsqTV) is an American digital cable and satellite television network that is owned as a joint venture between NBCUniversal and Hearst Corporation (both owning 50%). The network airs programs aimed at a metrosexual audience centering on travel, cooking and fashion as well as non-sports related male programming.

Originating as Style Network until its relaunch on September 23, 2013, the channel is available to approximately 70.3 million pay television households (60.4% of households with television) in the United States as of February 2015.[1] At its relaunch as Esquire Network, it was estimated that the network was available in 75 million homes, but Nielsen ratings "[were] unable to provide estimates for the number of actual viewers for those weeks because ratings were too low to meet its "minimum-reporting standard".[2]

History

Style Network

Further information: List of programs broadcast by Style Network
Style Network's logo from its 1998 debut until 2012; still used in some international markets.

The channel was originally launched as the Style Network (although on-air promotions typically referred to it as simply "Style") on October 1, 1998, serving as a spin-off of E!. It was intended to leverage E!'s coverage of fashion and to provide an expanded venue for shows such as Fashion Emergency. The network focused on fashion, design, interior decoration and urban lifestyle-related programming. Style provided coverage of events like Fashion Week in New York City and showcased various designers. Early programming included: The Look For Less, Shabby Chic with Rachel Ashwell, Glow: The Beauty Show, Vogue Takes..., Stylemaker, Model, Runway, Dining With Style, and Homes With Style. Around 2003, the channel began airing a variety of "makeover" shows. The home makeover show Clean House lasted for ten seasons on the network; How Do I Look? lasted eight seasons.

Style Network logo used from 2012 to 2013 in the United States; used by most local versions in international markets.

Starting around 2008, Style shifted its focus to personality-based reality programing such as Jerseylicious, Tia & Tamera and Big Rich Texas, along with a female-focused spin-off of The Soup known as The Dish. On June 25, 2012, the Style Network was rebranded with a revised logo and a new slogan: "Work it. Love it. Style it."[3][4] In 2013, the channel launched two real estate related shows: Hot Listings: Miami and Built, which featured male models remodeling houses.

Esquire Network transition

In December 2012, NBCUniversal signed a brand licensing deal with the Hearst Corporation, owner of Esquire magazine, to relaunch G4 into Esquire Network, which would air shows aimed at a metrosexual audience about travel, cooking, fashion and other male-targeted programming that is not sports related, including the addition of acquired and archived program content from the NBCUniversal library such as Party Down, Parks and Recreation and week-delayed episodes of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[5][6][7]

The rebranding was scheduled to take place on April 22, 2013,[6] but was moved to an unspecified date in the summer on April 15, 2013, as network general manager Adam Stotsky stated the rebranding was pushed back in order to have a broader slate of original series to launch with than would have been available for the April launch. In May 2013, the launch date was pushed to September 23, 2013, with its first program being an 80th anniversary special on Esquire which was rebroadcast later in primetime.[8]

On September 9, 2013, NBCUniversal announced that it would replace Style Network with Esquire Network, leaving G4 "as is for the foreseeable future, though it's highly unlikely the company will invest in more original programming" according to The Hollywood Reporter.[9] One of the factors was likely Style's distribution on DirecTV, giving Esquire more homes at launch with the Style channel slot than they would have had with G4 (G4 had earlier been dropped by DirecTV in 2010 due to the channel's low viewership and had never been able to come to terms on a new carriage agreement). As part of the rebranding, some of Style's existing shows such as Sex and the City reruns in overnight slots continued to air on the Esquire schedule for a short time (although some of the programs may not necessarily fit the network's shifted target demographic; the rights eventually were moved over to E! in December 2013), while others ended their run or moved to either sister networks E!, Bravo and Oxygen. However, international versions of Style Network will continue to exist for the foreseeable future, as the Esquire brand license is restricted solely to the United States. G4 permanently ceased all broadcasting operations on December 31, 2014.

Style had not made any mention of the oncoming rebranding until September 18, when a 60-second farewell clip was posted on its YouTube channel serving as a retrospective of the network's history and ending with a thanks to the channel's audience for their viewership. Other social media platforms for individual Style programs also began to mention the end of the network on that day.[10] The last program to air on Style on September 22, 2013, was an overnight repeat of the Tia & Tamera season finale (which became its de facto series finale as Tia and Tamera Mowry opted not to continue with the series) at 2 a.m. Eastern Time, with the nightly three-hour paid programming block leading into the Esquire Network launch special after a 30-second abbreviated version of the Style farewell clip aired on the channel space. The changeover occurred on September 23, 2013 at 6 a.m. Eastern Time.[2]

Programming

See also: List of programs broadcast by Esquire Network

In addition to original shows such as Knife Fight, Esquire Network is known to air retro television series, such as The A-Team and Miami Vice, as well as shows from its sibling networks.

International

Further information: Style Network (Australia)

Internationally, Style Network was launched in the Arab world in December 2007 on Showtime Arabia,[11] across Southern and Western Africa during back in November 2007 on DStv,[12] in the United Kingdom and Ireland on June 10, 2008, in Japan on World on Demand, and Australia in November 2009. The network is scheduled to launch in Poland and Romania.

Style Network continues to air in international markets, though its British/Irish version ceased operations on December 9, 2013,[13] while its African version ceased operations on March 31, 2015.,[14] and even with its American version becoming NBCUniversal Cable's joint venture with Hearst Corporation called Esquire Network.

The Australian version of the Style Network made its first local commission, Fashion Bloggers in 2014, after its American counterpart rebranded.[15]

Website

Esquire Network maintains its website within Esquire's domain and includes program listings, information on the channel's original programming, and select clips from its programs. The network also maintains a video on demand service, "Esquire TV Now", which requires TV Everywhere authentication through a cable, satellite or telco provider that offers the service.[16]

References

  1. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 22, 2015). "List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Steigrad, Alexandra (December 30, 2013). "Ratings In for Esquire Network Launch". WWD. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  3. ^ "Style Media Embraces Stylish Living With Glossy, Bold Rebrand". NBCUniversal. June 20, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  4. ^ Rose, Lacey (June 20, 2012). "Style Network Unveils Bold Rebrand, New Logo". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Rose, Lacey (December 7, 2012). "NBCUniversal, Hearst Corp. Close Deal to Rebrand G4 as Esquire Channel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  6. ^ a b G4 Staff (February 11, 2013). "G4 To Be Rebranded As The Esquire Network On April 22nd". G4TV.com. Retrieved February 12, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 15, 2013). "Esquire Network's Launch Pushed To Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  8. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 29, 2013). "Esquire Network to Debut September 23; Primetime Kicks Off With Special Celebrating Esquire Magazine's 80th Anniversary". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  9. ^ Rose, Lacey (September 9, 2013). "NBCU Switch-Up: Esquire Network to Take Over Style, Not G4 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. ^ 15 Years of Style on YouTube (Uploaded September 18, 2013)
  11. ^ "The Style Network launches on SHOWTIME". Zawya. December 4, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  12. ^ "New on The Style Network in November 2008". TVSA. November 6, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  13. ^ Middleton, Richard. "NBCU ditches UK's Style Network". C21 Media. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Style Network no longer available on DStv from February 2015". Screen Africa. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  15. ^ "First local commission for The Style Network". if.com.au. July 21, 2014. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  16. ^ About Esquire TV Now - Esquire Network's Official Website (accessed November 22, 2013)
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