Type | Free-to-air television network (movies and television programs) |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Broadcast area | Nationwide via digital terrestrial television (U.S. coverage: 61%) [1] and streaming |
Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
Programming | |
Picture format | 480i (SDTV) (transmitted in either 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 letterbox) |
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
Parent | Popcorn Entertainment, LLC [2] |
Key people |
|
Sister channels | MeTV MeTV+ MeTV Toons Heroes & Icons Catchy Comedy Start TV Story Television Dabl |
History | |
Founded | January 28, 2013 |
Launched | May 27, 2013 [3] |
Links | |
Website | moviestvnetwork |
Availability | |
Terrestrial | |
List of affiliates | |
Streaming media | |
Service(s) | Frndly TV, [4] Philo |
Movies! (also known as simply M!) is an American free-to-air television network, owned by Popcorn Entertainment, LLC, a joint venture between Weigel Broadcasting and the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of Fox Corporation. The network's programming emphasizes feature films but also Modern E/I programming on Sunday mornings produced/distributed by Storrs Media/Telco Productions. The network's programming and advertising operations are based in Weigel Broadcasting's headquarters on North Halsted Street in Chicago, Illinois.
It is available in several markets through digital subchannel affiliations with free-to-air television stations, as well as through carriage on pay television providers through a local affiliate of the network. [5] Movies! provides programming 24 hours a day and broadcasts in the 16:9 widescreen picture format, [6] available in either standard definition or high definition depending on the station's preference.
Though the network does air commercials, it otherwise carries film edits without profanity and content that does not meet FCC guidelines, and refuses broadcast syndication cuts of films, with no time slot constraints. A notation in the Movies! title card stating no film alterations is aired at the beginning of every film broadcast. Short films are aired to line up films to the top of the hour when needed, and to fill out time for a film that runs short.
On January 28, 2013, Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting announced the formation of Movies!, with plans to launch the network on Memorial Day of that year. [3] [5] [6] Movies! officially launched on May 27, 2013, at 8:10 a.m. Eastern Time, initially debuting on the subchannels of both of the network's co-parents: five Fox and 11 MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated stations owned by Fox Television Stations, and two stations owned by Weigel. Its programming was inaugurated by a ten-minute clip introducing the network, followed by the first film to be telecast on Movies!, the 1975 film Western Take a Hard Ride . [7] [8]
Described as presenting "a variety of theatrical motion pictures in a new, viewer and advertiser friendly format, not seen on broadcast television to date", [9] films featured on Movies! as of February 2022 primarily consist of releases from The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment and Shout! Factory, but the network also shows content from Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, ReTV, [10] and Peter Rodgers Organization.[ citation needed ] [11] The network's film roster concentrates mainly on classic films from the 1920s to the 1980s, though in recent years, films from the 1990s and select films from the 2000s and 2010s are also played. [8] As of August 2019, Movies! broadcasts featured movie presentations such as Noir to Die For all day every Thursday, Saturday Morning Movies! consisting of films from the Hopalong Cassidy, Laurel and Hardy and Blondie franchises, Popcorn Movies! every Saturday afternoon, Definitive Movies! every Saturday night and Sunday Night Noir. Movies! presents many of its features in their original aspect ratio (widescreen or full screen) whenever possible, [5] which are either presented in the 16:9 or 4:3 letterboxed format depending on the affiliate's preference in transmitting the subchannel. Scope films, however, are often reformatted from 2.35:1 to 1.85:1.
Films that are broadcast 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 set time block; [12] start and end times for films airing on the network are influenced by a combination of the film's original running time and the commercial breaks inserted within the broadcast (the network limits the amount of advertising featured during its programming to twelve minutes per hour), [12] [13] with airtimes for films varying between the conventional top-and-bottom-of-the-hour scheduling (e.g., 6:30 a.m. or 8:00 p.m.) and incremental airtimes in margins of five minutes (e.g., 2:10 p.m. or 3:55 a.m.) that more closely mirror the scheduling structures of premium cable channels than those of other advertiser-supported networks [7] [8] (this scheduling format, which still results in a particular film's running time to be somewhat longer than the original runtime of its theatrical release depending on the content edits, was replicated by GetTV when it launched in February 2014).
In order to meet requirements imposed by the Federal Communications Commission on the amount of educational programming content that a broadcast station must air each week, Movies! airs a three-hour block of children's programs that were originally distributed for syndication on Sunday mornings supplied by Storrs Media/Telco Productions (currently featuring Dog Tales Classics , Getting Green and Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition ). This allows its affiliates to carry the network's full schedule without having to purchase E/I programming from the syndication market to comply with the rules. [8]
As of July 2014, Movies! has current or pending affiliation agreements with television stations in 43 media markets encompassing 22 states and the District of Columbia, covering approximately 49% of the United States. [14] [15] Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting launched Movies! in markets served by a station owned-and-operated by the Fox network or its sister programming service MyNetworkTV. Not all of the Fox Television Stations outlets carried Movies! at launch, WJZY in Charlotte (which came under Fox ownership one month prior to the network's debut) did not begin carrying Movies! until July 1, 2014, [14] due to an existing affiliation agreement with Antenna TV.
In Chicago—where Fox Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting each own television stations—Fox-owned WFLD serves as that market's charter affiliate of the network, instead of one of Weigel's three stations in that market (WCIU-TV, WWME-CA and WMEU-CD). This makes Movies! the first Weigel-owned network in which the company's Chicago flagship stations do not serve as affiliates (WCIU formerly carried This TV under Weigel ownership before it moved to WGN-TV upon becoming part-owned by Tribune Broadcasting in November 2013, and MeTV is carried on WWME-CD and relayed a subchannel of WCIU). WBND-LD in South Bend, Indiana carries Movies! on its third digital subchannel; WMLW-TV in Milwaukee carried the network from its launch until August 4, 2014, when Movies! moved to a newly created secondary subchannel of ABC affiliate WISN-TV. [16] Following the WISN deal, that station's owner Hearst Television signed affiliation agreements on a piecemeal basis to add Movies! to select stations, mainly those affiliated with networks other than ABC, during late 2014 and early 2015 (Hearst already carries sister network MeTV in a majority of the markets where it owns stations).
In addition to its carriage on the Fox- and Weigel-owned outlets at the network's launch, the network is also carried on the digital subchannels of television stations owned by other broadcasting companies. [17] Soon after its launch, Movies! reached distribution agreements with several broadcasting groups to add the network on the subchannels of some of their stations. The first stations outside of the Fox and Weigel outlets to sign deals to carry the network were KFFV in Seattle, WLWC in Providence (both owned by OTA Broadcasting) and KPXJ in Shreveport (owned by KTBS, LLC) in October 2013, with the three stations adding the network between November 10 and December 10. [18] The following month, in November 2013, Movies! signed affiliation agreements with nine stations owned by Bonten Media Group, Cocola Broadcasting and the Maranatha Broadcasting Company. [19] Four additional stations (in Salt Lake City; Boise; Wausau; and Victoria, Texas), through deals with companies such as the Nexstar Broadcasting Group and Saga Communications, added the network between May and October 2014. [14]
In June 2022, Frndly TV announced the planned addition of Movies! to their streaming lineup. [20] [21] However, after several months delay, Movies! was added on February 3, 2023. [22] [23]
WCIU-TV is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is the flagship television property of locally based Weigel Broadcasting, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to two low-power stations: independent outlet WMEU-CD and MeTV/Heroes & Icons flagship WWME-CD. The stations share studios on Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood, while WCIU-TV's transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower in the Chicago Loop.
WITI is a television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, serving as the market's Fox network outlet. Owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division, WITI maintains studios on North Green Bay Road in Brown Deer, and its transmitter is located on East Capitol Drive in Shorewood.
WPWR-TV is a television station licensed to Gary, Indiana, United States, broadcasting the MyNetworkTV programming service to the Chicago area. It is one of two commercial television stations in the Chicago market to be licensed in Indiana. WPWR-TV is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet WFLD ; the stations share studios on North Michigan Avenue in the Chicago Loop and transmitter facilities atop the Willis Tower.
WBME-CD, virtual channel 41, is a low-power, Class A MeTV owned-and-operated television station licensed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting, it is sister to CBS affiliate WDJT-TV, Racine-licensed independent station WMLW-TV and low-power Telemundo affiliate WYTU-LD. The stations share studios in the Renaissance Center office complex on South 60th Street in West Allis, while WBME-CD's transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park.
WMLW-TV is an independent television station licensed to Racine, Wisconsin, United States, serving the Milwaukee area. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting alongside CBS affiliate WDJT-TV and two low-power stations: Telemundo affiliate WYTU-LD and Class A MeTV owned-and-operated station WBME-CD. The stations share studios in the Renaissance Center office complex on South 60th Street in West Allis ; WMLW-TV's transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park.
WWME-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, which serves as the flagship station of multicast networks MeTV and Heroes & Icons. It is owned by locally based Weigel Broadcasting alongside fellow Weigel flagship properties, CW affiliate WCIU-TV and independent station WMEU-CD. The stations share studios on Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood, while WWME-CD's transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower on South Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop.
Weigel Broadcasting Co. is an American television broadcasting company based in Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV, at 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood. It currently owns 25 television stations, seven digital over-the-air television networks, and one radio station.
WCWW-LD is a low-power television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting alongside two other low-power stations: ABC affiliate WBND-LD and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYS-LD. The three stations share studios on Generations Drive in northeastern South Bend; WCWW-LD's transmitter is located just off the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on the city's south side.
MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television programs from the 1930s through the 1990s.
WMEU-CD is a low-power, Class A independent television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is owned by locally based Weigel Broadcasting alongside fellow Weigel flagship properties, CW affiliate WCIU-TV and MeTV outlet WWME-CD. The three stations share studios on Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood; WMEU-CD's transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower on South Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop.
This TV is an American free-to-air television network owned by Allen Media Broadcast Networks, LLC, part of the Allen Media Group division of Entertainment Studios. Originally formed in 2008 as a joint venture between Amazon's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Weigel Broadcasting, the network currently carries various unscripted series from Entertainment Studios' library. The network previously had a large programming emphasis on films, primarily sourced from the library of former owner MGM, but all films were dropped from the schedule in 2024. Classic television series and children's programming had also aired on the network previously.
Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operations are headquartered in the WGN-TV studios in Chicago. The network's operations are overseen by Sean Compton, who serves as the president of networks for Nexstar.
Bounce TV is an American digital multicast television network owned by Scripps Networks, a subsidiary of E. W. Scripps Company. Promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created to target African Americans", the channel features a mix of original and acquired programming geared toward African Americans between 25 and 54 years of age. The network is network affiliate with terrestrial television and television station in many media markets through digital subchannel. It is also available on the digital cable tiers of select cable providers at the discretion of local affiliates, as well as on Dish Network, DirecTV and Frndly TV.
Get is an American digital multicast television network owned by the network television division of Sony Pictures Television. Originally known as GetTV from 2014 until its rebranding in 2023, the network was initially formatted as a movie-oriented service, and over time transitioned into a general entertainment network featuring primarily classic television shows from the 1960s through the 2000s.
Grit is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network features classic westerns, both TV series and films.
Ion Mystery is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. It focuses primarily on mystery, true crime, and police/legal procedural programs.
Heroes & Icons (H&I) is an American diginet television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Usually carried on the digital subchannels of its affiliated television station in most markets, the network airs classic television series from the 1950s through the 2000s, with a focus on action/adventure, westerns, crime dramas, sci-fi, and superhero programming.
Catchy Comedy, formerly known as Decades, is an American digital broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. The network, which is mainly carried on the digital subchannels of television stations, primarily airs classic television sitcoms from the 1950s through the early 1990s. Established in 2015, the network was previously called Decades.
Start TV is an American free-to-air television network owned as a joint venture between Weigel Broadcasting and the CBS News and Stations subsidiary of Paramount Global. Predominantly carried on the digital subchannels of its affiliated television station in most markets, it primarily airs classic television drama series from the 1980s through the 2010s, with a focus on women-led dramas, police and legal procedurals. The network originates from Weigel Broadcasting's headquarters on North Halsted Street in Chicago, Illinois.
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