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Tuff TVwas an Americandigital broadcasttelevision networktargeted atmenowned by the Tuff TV, Inc. division of Seals Entertainment Corporation. Tuff TV launched on June 30, 2009, and ceased operations August 26, 2018.
 | |
| Type | Digital broadcasttelevision network |
|---|---|
| Branding | TUFF TV |
| Country | |
| Availability | 33% of US households[1] |
Broadcast area | United States |
| Owner | TUFF TV, Inc. (Seals Entertainment Corporation) |
Key people | Lou Seals John Bonner |
Launch date | June 30, 2009 |
| Dissolved | August 26, 2018 |
Tuff TV carried a mixture of sports (combat, motor and some team sport), lifestyle (outdoors, cooking), automotive, dramas, movies and talk show programming geared mainly at a young male audience. The network carried 3 hours of weekly E/I children's programming to comply with federal broadcasting regulations. Stations affiliating with Tuff received five minutes of local advertising per hour.[2]
History
editTuff TV was launched in 2009 as a joint venture betweenLuken Communicationsand TUFF TV Media Group LLC. By July 2011, the network's main affiliate base were the Morris Family Broadcasting and NJR TV station groups.[2]In mid-July 2014, Tuff TV started crowdfunding equity on SparkMarket to raise Investment capital, but was limited to those living in the state of Georgia.[3]
Tuff agreed to carry some games from the first season of theFall Experimental Football Leaguein October and November 2014.[4]Tuff relocated their offices to the GPB Media Building in Atlanta on June 8, 2016.[5]On Friday, July 15, 2016, Tuff took over its distribution feed fromLuken Communicationsearlier than planned.[6]
In 2017 Tuff TV lost a case in civil court for Fair Labor Standards brought by a former employee.[7]
Tuff TV, along with its parent company Seals Entertainment Company, ceased operations without announcement on August 26, 2018. The company eventually acknowledged the shutdown months later and indicated that they hoped to relaunch the channel by March 31, 2019; that date passed without a relaunch or any further news, and the site has only featured text indicating the network would be 'coming soon' with no set launch date. The network later claimed it would relaunch in 2022, but its current live stream is non-functioning, and no details about any new affiliation agreements or distribution details (be it as a broadcast subchannel or streaming network) have been made public.
References
edit- ^"The Top 25 Digital Broadcast Networks".TVNewsCheck.17 June 2014.Retrieved28 December2014.
- ^abMcAvoy, Kim (July 27, 2011)."Diginets Struggle For Place On TV's Frontier".TVNewsCheck.p. 4.RetrievedMarch 6,2017.
- ^Malone, Michael (July 24, 2014)."Tuff TV Turns to Crowd-Funding".Broadcasting & Cable.RetrievedMarch 6,2017.
- ^"FXFL To Be Carried on ESPN3"(Press release). New York: FXFL. PR Newswire. October 1, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon October 21, 2014.RetrievedOctober 20,2014– via NBC Right Now.
- ^"Tuff TV Announces New Corporate HQ, Studio".TV News Check.June 8, 2016.RetrievedMarch 3,2017.
- ^"Early Launch For Tuff TV's New Network Feed".TVNewsCheck.July 12, 2016.RetrievedMarch 3,2017.
- ^"FJC IDB Information for Garmon v. Tuff TV Media Group, LLC, 1:15-cv-04394 - CourtListener".CourtListener.
External links
edit- Seals Entertainment Corporation (Sealsco),parent corporation