This TV
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| This TV | |
|---|---|
| Name | This TV |
| Launched | November 1, 2008 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Owner | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1996–present) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
This TV is a United States-based digital multicast television network specializing in feature films, classic television series, and film-related programming. Founded as a joint venture to exploit motion picture libraries, it has programmed catalog titles across multiple genres for over a decade while negotiating digital carriage with broadcast groups and cable providers. The service has undergone shifts in ownership, affiliate strategy, and schedule emphasis amid changing audience measurement practices.
History
The network launched amid the late-2000s expansion of digital multicast networks pioneered by broadcasters such as Fox Broadcasting Company multicast ventures and competitors like MeTV, Antenna TV, and Cozi TV. Initial partners included Metromedia-adjacent interests and executives formerly associated with Twentieth Century Fox Television and Sony Pictures Television. In its early years the channel licensed libraries from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, leveraging titles from the studios of Samuel Goldwyn, United Artists, and acquisitions tied to Amazon MGM Studios predecessor catalogs. Strategic carriage agreements were negotiated with station groups such as Tribune Broadcasting, Nexstar Media Group, and Sinclair Broadcast Group, as well as cable carriage through operators like Comcast and Charter Communications. Over time ownership stakes shifted, with MGM Holdings and related entities consolidating control amid broader industry transactions including the Amazon acquisition of MGM. The network weathered programming competition from streaming platforms including Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+ as well as terrestrial multicast rivals.
Programming
Programming emphasized feature films drawn from classic and contemporary studio libraries, scheduling titles across action, drama, comedy, noir, and family categories sourced from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer holdings and licensed acquisitions from outfits like Orion Pictures and United Artists. The schedule often paired film blocks with vintage television series episodes from rights holders such as Sony Pictures Television and NBCUniversal Television Distribution, showcasing series that originally aired on networks like CBS Television Network and ABC. Seasonal event programming and thematic marathons referenced releases associated with film festivals like Cannes Film Festival and awards seasons including the Academy Awards. The network also intermittently aired documentaries connecting to studios such as 20th Century Studios histories and biographical pieces on filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Martin Scorsese. Movie trailers, retrospectives, and occasional syndicated sports or newsmagazine repackages from partners including CNN-produced archives appeared in limited slots.
Distribution and Affiliates
Distribution relied on over-the-air affiliate agreements with local broadcast owners including Tegna Inc., Hearst Television, Scripps Networks (post-acquisition alignments), and regional groups such as Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group. Affiliates carried the network primarily on digital subchannels marked as 4.2/5.2-style mappings following ATSC digital transition standards originally established by the Federal Communications Commission. Cable and satellite carriage negotiations were pursued with Dish Network, DirecTV, and regional cable systems, though penetration varied by market and tier placement. The network expanded coverage through affiliation swaps, barter agreements, and retransmission consent dialogues involving station groups such as Tribune Media and Gray Television. International distribution remained limited compared to global broadcasters like BBC and ITV.
Branding and Marketing
Brand identity emphasized cinematic heritage, using logo treatments and on-air imaging harking to classic studio motifs associated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and the iconography of Hollywood landmarks like Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Promotional campaigns targeted viewers of nostalgia-focused networks including MeTV and Antenna TV as well as film enthusiasts who follow publications such as Variety (magazine), The Hollywood Reporter, and Entertainment Weekly. Cross-promotional tie-ins were arranged with theater chains comparable to AMC Theatres for specialty screenings and with home video distributors like Warner Bros. Home Entertainment for catalog DVD releases. Social media outreach employed platforms run by Meta Platforms and Twitter, Inc. to reach cord-cutting demographics and subscribers of streaming services. Periodic rebrands and graphic refreshes tracked trends set by networks such as FX and TBS toward bolder typography and on-screen bug treatments.
Ownership and Corporate Structure
Corporate ownership centered on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and related investment entities tied to the studio's parent companies and private equity transactions involving firms similar to Providence Equity Partners and Cerberus Capital Management in the wider entertainment sector. Executive leadership included television veterans with backgrounds at CBS Corporation, Warner Bros. Television, and NBCUniversal. Strategic oversight intersected with studio licensing departments that manage catalogs including MGM Television and United Artists Television, while affiliate relations were coordinated through corporate business affairs teams experienced with broadcast groups like Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group. The network operated as a distinct programming venture within the broader portfolio of its parent studio, subject to consolidation events such as the Amazon MGM deal and antitrust reviews historically overseen by the Department of Justice.
Reception and Ratings
Audience reception compared favorably within the free over-the-air multicast niche, drawing viewers from demographics attractive to advertisers measured by firms like Nielsen Media Research. Ratings performance fluctuated with film selection, competing against multicast peers such as Cozi TV and Antenna TV as well as cable movie channels including TCM and AMC. Critics and trade outlets including Variety (magazine) and The Hollywood Reporter noted the network's strength in curation of classic titles while pointing to limited carriage in some major markets as a constraint on national ad revenue. Advertisers from industries such as automotive and consumer packaged goods that routinely appear on broadcast television negotiated spot buys through agencies with ties to WPP plc and Omnicom Group. Overall, the network maintained a steady presence in the evolving broadcast multichannel landscape.