Foxnet

Foxnet

Country	United States
Broadcast area	Nationwide (available mainly in smallertelevision markets)
Network	Fox
Headquarters	Los Angeles,California
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	480i(SDTV)
Ownership
Owner	Fox Corporation
Parent	Fox Entertainment
History
Launched	June 6, 1991(1991-06-06)

Foxnetis an Americancable televisionchannel that was owned by theFox Entertainmentdivision ofFox Corporation.Serving as a national feed of theFox Broadcasting Company(known simply as Fox), the service is intended forAmericantelevision marketsranked #100 and above byNielsen Media Researchestimates that lacks availability for a locally based Fox broadcast affiliate.

In addition to carrying Fox'sprime timeandsports programming,as well as itschildren'sprogrammingblocks, Foxnet also carriessyndicatedandbrokered programsoutside of network programming time periods. Fox handled programming, advertising, and promotional services for Foxnet at its corporate headquarters onPico BoulevardinLos Angeles.

History

Background

At the time of the service's launch in 1991, Fox's programming reached only 91.75% of all U.S. households with at least one television set.This was because, around the time of the network's launch in October 1986, most large and mid-sized markets were served by at least four commercialover-the-airtelevision stations– three that wereaffiliatedwith one of thethree established broadcast networks,ABC,NBCandCBS,and one that usually operated as anindependent station.The vast majority of Fox's charter affiliates consisted of independent stations that had no existing network partner (in most cases, aligning with the highest-rated independent within the market).

Many smaller markets were served by three or fewer commercial stations, most of which were already affiliated with at least one of the existing major broadcast networks, leaving Fox's only options to reach these areas being to either settle for a secondary affiliation with one of the major network stations (which would have forced Fox programs to air in off-peak timeslots subject to lower viewership), going with a station owned by a religious broadcaster which could block portions of their schedule based on moral concerns (and been the cause of Fox terminating several affiliations in its early days), or affiliate with a sparelow-powerstation, which often carried low-quality schedules prevalent withhome shoppingorpaid programmingoutside of primetime and were usually associated with networks such asChannel America;the network rarely utilized either option in order to not associate their programming with low-effort stations and networks, leaving it with gaps in national clearance in several smaller markets, while it only carried secondary affiliations on Big Three stations only starting in 1994 to distribute theirNFL coveragein some scattered markets until a stand-alone station could launch. To expand its distribution to these areas, original network presidentJamie Kellner(who would remain in the role until his departure in 1993, when he co-foundedTime Warnerand theTribune Company's network ventureThe WB) developed the concept of a national cable feed of Fox that would provide Fox network programming to smaller television markets throughout the United States where the network could not maintain an exclusive over-the-air affiliation – known as "white areas" – due to the limited number of commercial television stations available or where a local cable provider did not import the signal of an out-of-market Fox station to act as a default affiliate of the network.

Development and launch

On September 6, 1990, Fox reached an agreement withTele-Communications Inc.– at the time, the nation's largest cable operator – in which TCI systems in certain markets would become charter affiliates of a cable-only version of the network, breaking the traditional method of broadcast networks offering their programming to over-the-air television stations that distribute content to local cable systems.John C. Malone,then thechief executive officerof TCI, referred to the agreement as "precedent setting" since it allowed TCI systems to obtain "network affiliate status" in places where Fox programming was not available.When it launched, Fox charged smaller cable providers that agreed to carry Foxnet a flat annual carriage fee of $100, instead of the monthly fees traditionally charged by other broadcast and cable channels; in turn, TCI agreed to pay Fox a subscriber fee of 6¢ per month, a precursor to thereverse compensationrevenue model that Fox and other broadcast networks would adopt for their conventional stations by the early 2000s.

Foxnet launched on June 6, 1991, originally maintaining an 18-hour daily schedule (from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.EasternandPacific Time).By 1992, Foxnet reached 1.3 million subscribers throughout the United States,and served nearly two million viewers at its peak. During its existence, the network never officially identified itself specifically as "Foxnet" on-air; itsnetwork identificationconsisted solely of the Fox logo in use at the time, with avoiceoverreading "you're watching Fox."

As Fox expanded its presence to most television markets through primary affiliations with full-power or low-power broadcast television stations (the latter now more well-associated under the ownership of other full-power stations and refusing the low-quality networks and paid programming prevalent in the early low-power era), and by the mid-2000s, carriage ondigital subchannelsof stations affiliated with other broadcast networks, Foxnet's coverage had in turn shrunk to the point where very few areas had a need for the service. In addition, most cable providers in markets that remained unserved by a local Fox station until it acquired a standalone primary or subchannel-only affiliation began importing out-of-market affiliates to relay the network's programming (in many cases, replacing Foxnet on the provider's lineup), or in rare cases, partnered with an already-existingmajor network affiliateto create a dedicated Fox cable channel (one such example was CGEM in theHannibal, Missouri/Quincy, Illinoismedia market, which was initially operated by NBC affiliateWGEM-TVandContinental Cablevisionat the time of its launch in 1994 before migrating to a digital subchannel of WGEM-TV in 2006). Foxnet was also carried in portions of some larger media markets where a reliable signal from an over-the-air affiliate or a translator was not receivable; one such example includedEastern Iowa(whereKOCR's signal only coveredCedar RapidsandIowa Cityand not the cities ofWaterlooorDubuque;Foxnet was carried across most of Eastern Iowa between October 1994 andKFXB-TV's affiliation with Fox in August 1995 as KOCR was off the air during that time owing to financial issues). Viewers in Foxnet markets that had a subscription to adirect broadcast satelliteservice also had the ability to watch an out-of-market Fox station via a given provider after receiving permission from the network:DirecTVandDish Networksubscribers could receive network-ownedKTTV(channel 11) fromLos AngelesorWNYW(channel 5) fromNew York City;until that provider's 1999 merger with DirecTV, subscribers ofPrimestarcould receive eitherOakland/San FranciscoaffiliateKTVU(channel 2, also now a Fox owned-and-operated station) orPhiladelphiaaffiliate-turned-O&OWTXF-TV(channel 29). However, in some cases, satellite subscribers could receive the Fox station with rights to the network's programming within the market. As a result, some areas that were not served by a Fox affiliate at the time of the network's launch never offered Foxnet; examples includedPalm Springs, California(which was served by KTTV prior toKDFX-CD's affiliation with Fox), theSouth Bendregion (which was served byWFLD,WXMI,andWFFT-TVprior toWSJV's affiliation with Fox) and the western portion of thePlattsburgh/Burlingtonmarket (which was mostly served by WNYW prior toWFFF-TV's sign-on).

From October 2001 to April 2003, most Fox programming in the state ofMainewas only available via Foxnet, asWPXT(which served as the network'sPortlandaffiliate) disaffiliated from the network to join The WB; that station had been carried by cable providers inBangorsince the network's launch. WhenWPFOandWFVX-LDaffiliated with Fox, Foxnet was relegated to thePresque Islearea, which was one of the last few areas to not have a Fox affiliate of its own. A similar situation happened insouthwestern MississippiwhenWDBDinitially disaffiliated from the network at that time also to join The WB; WDBD would eventually reaffiliate with the network in 2006, taking the affiliation fromWUFX(which signed on in September 2003, now WLOO).

Discontinuation

As time went on, more local or adjacent-market Fox affiliates became available over-the-air or on cable in smaller markets. Eventually, Foxnet's national coverage was reduced to the level where it was only carried on a few small cable systems, none of which had more than 1,000 subscribers. As such, it no longer made economic sense for the service to remain on the air. It was for this reason that Fox's then-owner News Corporation (whose entertainment assets were largelyspun offinto21st Century Foxin July 2013) made the decision to discontinue Foxnet. The service officially shut down on September 12, 2006; it was originally slated to cease operations two weeks earlier on September 1, but the shutdown was delayed in order to allow ABC affiliateWABG-TV(channel 6) inGreenwood, Mississippiand CBS affiliateWAGM-TV(channel 8) in Presque Isle time to quickly launch Fox affiliates on their second digital subchannels.

Because of Foxnet's shutdown, 13,000 cable subscribers nationwide were estimated to have lost access to Fox network programming. By this time, the network's market share had increased to 98.97% of all U.S. television households. Indeed, network executives had been looking forward to the point that its national penetration had increased to the level that Foxnet would no longer be needed.

The concept and programming strategy behind Foxnet served as the basis forThe WB 100+ Station Group,a service owned by Time Warner and Tribune that operated from September 1998 to September 2006 – which was succeeded byThe CW Plus,once The WB andUPNwere shut down and replaced byThe CWin September 2006 – for markets that did not have a WB-affiliated station; though unlike Foxnet, The WB 100+ – which was also co-founded by Kellner – was stylized (to an extent) similarly to an over-the-air broadcast station and local operators were allowed to tailor the service to their individual market with their own branding, with some of the outlets even carrying local news or sports programming. Foxnet, meanwhile, was formatted in the manner of a traditional cable channel with no local programming content provided by its carriers.

2017-present: Partial revival with Hulu and as emergency backup service

In May 2017, the video streaming serviceHulu(then partially owned by21st Century Fox,Fox's owner at the time) launched a live TV option which included live streams of the Fox affiliates and O&Os which had agreed to terms with the service to offer their stations to Hulu. In June 2017,The Wall Street Journal(a sister newspaper to Fox through theirNews Corpownership) mentioned a secondary national feed was offered by Fox in several markets where the network's affiliates had not come to terms with Hulu to offer their streams to Hulu, mainly those involving Fox affiliates owned bySinclair Broadcast GroupandRaycom Media.However, the national Fox live stream differs in that secondary programming from Fox's sister cable networks, includingFox News Channel,Fox Business Network,and other now-former sister networksNational Geographic ChannelandNat Geo Wild(both now majority-owned byThe Walt Disney Company), is offered outside of network hours rather than any syndicated content, differing drastically from the structure of Foxnet.Like Foxnet, this national feed is likely to eventually end as the network's affiliates and Fox agree to terms to allow full streaming of stations under the Hulu live TV service and other streaming services under future affiliation agreements.

After the landfall ofHurricane Laurain August 2020, the Fox affiliate forLake Charles, Louisiana,KVHP,was taken off the air as its studio facility (shared with fellowGray TelevisionNBC affiliateKPLC) took damage caused by the toppling of thestudio transmitter linktower into the studio building. Fox then fed their default national feed meant for streaming use to local cable providers until KVHP resumed full operations at the end of 2020.

Programming

Further information:List of programs broadcast by Fox

Foxnet airs the Fox network's primetime schedule and its children's programming blocks (originallyFox Kids,thenFoxBox/4Kids TVfrom September 2002 onward); beginning with the network's assumption of rights to theNFL'sNational Football Conferencein September 1994, it also carries telecasts of sporting events produced by theFox Sportsdivision, though being a national service having to choose from certain games rather than taking regional coverage, it was possible for anNHL,NFLorMLBmatchup with teams with no rooting interest in a certain area to be of no interest to those viewers. In some areas where Foxnet was offered, affiliates of other networks carried secondary affiliations with Fox to air the network's sports programming (and in some areas children's programming) over-the-air; during this time, some cable systems blacked out Foxnet whenever sports programming was aired due tosyndexlaws.

Otherwise, a dual programming model was utilized for Foxnet that differed from the traditional affiliate model – in which the local station handled responsibilities for acquiring and scheduling syndicated and local programming to fill timeslots not occupied by network content – that is used by Fox stations in large and medium-sized markets. Fox maintained responsibility over the programming of timeslots within Foxnet's schedule that were not occupied by Fox network programming, absolving the local cable provider of the duty of having to acquire syndicated programming to fill timeslots outside of Fox's network schedule. The acquired programs primarily consisted of shows that were airing at the time in national syndication and classic television series; syndicatedfilmpackages – with most titles being sourced from the20th Century Foxlibrary – usually filled select weekend timeslots (which following the incorporation of Fox Sports in 1994, began to be limited to weekend time periods that were not occupied by sports programming), and, until 1993, primetime slots (Fox began offering primetime shows seven nights a week in the fall of that year). Fox also leased time todirect responseprogram producers and ministries to carrybrokered programming(such asinfomercialsandreligious programs) during overnight and some morning and early afternoon timeslots.

Foxnet is designed for theEasternandPacific Time Zones;as such, the Fox Kids and (from September 2002 to September 2006, after the network leased its children's programming to4Kids Entertainment) 4Kids TV blocks, which were designed to betape-delayed,were aired an hour early on affiliates in other time zones. As the network was carried as a cable network without any broadcast distribution, the FCC'seducational contentregulations for children's programming did not need to be fulfilled, nor was it subject to any FCC regulations which applied to broadcast networks.

Foxnet carried one original program,The Spud Goodman Show,a talk show that aired Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time – following the conclusion of Fox's primetime lineup – from 1996 to 1998. Though Fox did not carry any national news programming of its own at the time of its launch (and only has one news program presently on its schedule in the form of thepolitical talk showFox News Sunday), Foxnet did carry a simulcast of sister networkFox News Channel's daily evening newscastFox Reportin the 10:00 p.m. (Eastern) time slot from February 1999 until the service's discontinuation.

Dramas

• Action Pack(1994–2001) (excludingJack of All TradesandCleopatra 2525)
• The Adventures of Sinbad(1996–97)
• Alias Smith and Jones(1993–96)
• Automan(1991–92)
• Bat Masterson(2003–05)
• Baywatch(1995–2001)
• Baywatch Nights(1995–96)
• Beverly Hills, 90210(1994–98)
• Beyond Reality(1995–96)
• The Big Valley(2002–03)
• Black Sheep Squadron(1993–94)
• Blue Light(1991)
• Bracken's World(1991–92)
• Breaking Away(1991–92)
• Cade's County(1991–93)
• Cagney & Lacey(2003–05)
• Catwalk(1992–93)
• Code 3(1993)
• Conan the Adventurer(1997–98)
• The Crow: Stairway to Heaven(1998–99)
• Custer(1991–93)
• The Fall Guy(2002–06)
• Fame(2003–04)
• Felony Squad(1991–92)
• Flipper(1995–96)
• F/X: The Series(1996–97)
• Half Nelson(1991)
• Heart of the City(1992)
• Heaven Help Us(1994–95)
• The High Chaparral(1992–93)
• Highlander: The Series(1992–98)
• The Hitchhiker(1995–97)
• I Spy(1998–2000)
• The Invisible Man(2001–04)
• It Takes a Thief(1993–94)
• James at 15(1991–92)
• Judd, for the Defense(1991–92)
• Knight Rider(2002–03)
• Kojak(2003–06)
• Leg Work(1992)
• The Love Boat(1992–99)
• Manimal(1991–92)
• M.A.N.T.I.S.(2003–04)
• Maximum Exposure(2000–02)
• Movin' On(1991)
• One West Waikiki(1995–96)
• The Outer Limits(2001–05)
• Outlaws(1992–94)
• Pensacola: Wings of Gold(1997–2000)
• Peyton Place(1991–95)
• PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal(1998–99)
• Queen of Swords(2000–01)
• Quincy M.E.(2002–06)
• Relic Hunter(2001–02)
• Remington Steele(2004–06)
• Renegade(1995–96)
• Return of the Saint(1993)
• Robin's Hoods(1994–95)
• The Saint(1992–93)
• Secret Agent(1992)
• She Spies(2003–05)
• Simon & Simon(1993–95)
• St. Elsewhere(2005–06)
• Stargate SG-1(2001–05)
• Strike Force(1991)
• Switch(1994–95)
• Tales from the Crypt(1994–97)
• Tarzan: The Epic Adventures(1996–97)
• Trapper John, M.D.(2002–03)
• University Hospital(1995)
• The Virginian(1993–95; 2003–04)
• The Wizard(1991–92)

Comedies

• The Addams Family(2004–05)
• The Ann Sothern Show(1991–92)
• The Bob Newhart Show(2004–06)
• Boy Meets World(1998–2000)
• California Dreams(1993–95; 1996–98)
• Charlie & Co.(1991–92)
• Doogie Howser, M.D.(1996)
• Eye for an Eye(2005–06)
• The Ghost and Mrs. Muir(1992)
• Green Acres(2003–05)
• Have Faith(1991)
• HBOComedy Showcase(1994–99)
• Home Improvement(1998–2001)
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show(1997–2000)
• House Calls(1993–96)
• How to Marry a Millionaire(1992–94)
• Karen(1991–92)
• In Living Color(1993)
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show(2004–06)
• Mister Ed(2003–05)
• The Munsters(1993)
• The Munsters Today(1993–95)
• My World and Welcome to It(1992–94)
• The Mystery Science Theater Hour(1995–96)
• Night Stand with Dick Dietrick(1995–97)
• Northern Exposure(1995–96)
• Pursuit of Happiness(1991–92)
• Roll Out(1991)
• Susie(1991–92)
• Super Dave(1994–95)
• The Simpsons(1997–2001)
• Throb(1992–93)
• Unhappily Ever After(1999–2000)
• Working Girl(1991–92)

Reality/other

• Access Hollywood(1996–99)
• America's Country Connection(1993–94)
• America's Dumbest Criminals(1996–98)
• America's Most Wanted(1992–95)
• The American Athlete(1998–2003)
• American Gladiators(1995–96; 2003–04)
• Blind Date(1999–2006)
• Club Golf(1992–95)
• COPS(1996–2002)
• Court TV:Inside America's Courts(1996–97)
• Crossing Over with John Edward(2001–04)
• A Current Affair(1996)
• A Current Affair Extra(1995–96)
• Divorce Court(1994–95; 1999–2002; 2005–06)
• Emergency Call(1993–96)
• Entertainers(1994–96)
• The Extremists(1997)
• Fox Report(1999–2006)
• The Gayle King Show(1997–98)
• Global Wrestling Federation(1991–93)
• Golf Magazine TV(1999–2001)
• The Gordon Elliott Show(1996–97)
• Home Team(1997)
• Home Videos of the Stars(1993–94)
• House Calls(2000–01; 2005)
• Infatuation(1992–94)
• Jane Goodalland the World of Animal Behavior(1992)
• JBTV(1992–94)
• The Jerry Springer Show(1999–2006)
• Judge Joe Brown(1998–2002)
• Judge Judy(1996–2002)
• The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show(1997–98)
• LAPD: Life on the Beat(2001–05)
• Lauren Huttonand...(1995–96)
• Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous(1993–95)
• Love Connection(1994)
• Lover or Loser(2000)
• The Magic Hour(1998)
• The Mark Walberg Show(1995–96)
• Martha Stewart Living(1997–2001)
• Match Game(1998–99)
• Maury(1998–2006)
• Motown Live(1999–2000)
• Mounties: True Stories of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police(1998–2000)
• Pictionary(1997–98)
• Planet X Television(1997–98)
• Power of Attorney(2000–04)
• Prime Suspect(1993–94)
• Raceline(2003–06)
• Real Stories of the Highway Patrol(1993–98)
• Runaway with the Rich and Famous(1993–94)
• Sally(1999–2002)
• Sex Wars(2002–03)
• Shirley(1994–95)
• Siskel & Ebert & the Movies/At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper(1997–2003)
• Sports Waves(1994–95)
• The Spud Goodman Show(1996–98)
• Starting Over(2005–06)
• Strange Universe(1996–98)
• Talk About Money(1993–95)
• Top Cops(1994–96)
• Uptown Comedy Club(1992–94)
• U.S. Customs: Classified(1995–96)
• WCW Main Event(1994)
• WCW Pro(1991–94)
• WCW WorldWide(1993)
• The Whoopi Goldberg Show(1993)
• WWF Jakked(1999–2000)
• WWF Metal(1999–2002)
• Your Big Break(1999–2001)

Children's programming

• Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog(1993–95)
• All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series(1996–98)
• All New Captain Kangaroo(1997–98)
• Amazin' Adventures(1992–97)
• Animal Kingdom(1998–99)
• Animal Rescue(1998–2005)
• The Baby Huey Show(1994–96)
• BattleTech(1994–95)
• Biker Mice from Mars(1993–96)
• Captain N & The Video Game Masters(1992–93)
• Cool McCool(1992–93)
• Conan the Adventurer(1993–94)
• Creepy Crawlers(1994–96)
• Crusader Rabbit(1991–92)
• Disney's Doug(1998–99)
• Dragon Ball(1995–96)
• Dragon Ball Z(1997–98)
• Fantastic Four(1994–96)
• Flash Gordon(1996–97)
• Gadget Boy and Heather(1997)
• Hercules: The Animated Series(1998–99)
• Highlander: The Animated Series(1995–96)
• Iron Man(1994–96)
• Mighty Max(1993–96)
• Mutant League(1994–96)
• Phantom 2040(1995–96)
• The Pink Panther(1993–94)
• Popeye(1992–93)
• Popular Mechanics for Kids(1997–99)
• Real Life 101(2003–06)
• Reality Check(1995–96)
• Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist(1997–98)
• Sailor Moon(1995–96)
• Saved by the Bell(1991–2000)
• Scramble(1993–94)
• Student Bodies(1997–99)
• Stunt Dawgs(1992–94)
• Sweet Valley High(1994–97)
• Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic(1995–96)
• Transformers: Generation 2(1994–95)
• The Tribe(2005–06)
• Ultimate Choice(2003–06)
• VR Troopers(1994–96)
• Wild, Wild Web(1998–99)
• What's Up Network(1993–95)
• WMAC Masters(1995–96)

See also

• WGN America– a cable channel that originally operated as a superstation feed ofWGN-TV,which broadcast programming fromThe WB Television Networkfor markets without an affiliate from January 1995 to October 1999
• The WB 100+ Station Group– a similar cable-only network for markets without an affiliate of The WB, that operated from September 1998 to September 2006
• The CW Plus– a successor of The WB 100+; most of the remaining cable-only channels and some over-the-air stations that are outlets of The CW Plus formerly served as affiliates of The WB 100+ Station Group
• Univision– American Spanish-language network that offers a national cable/satellite feed for markets without a local affiliate
• UniMás– American Spanish-language network that offers a national cable/satellite feed for markets without a local affiliate
• Telemundo– American Spanish-language network that offers a national cable/satellite feed for markets without a local affiliate
• Azteca América– American Spanish-language network that formerly offered a national cable/satellite feed for markets without a local affiliate
• Estrella TV– American Spanish-language network that offers a national cable/satellite feed for markets without a local affiliate
• CTV 2 Alberta– a similar cable-only affiliate ofCTV 2in the Canadian province ofAlberta(formerly known as Access)
• CTV 2 Atlantic– a similar cable-only affiliate of CTV 2 inAtlantic Canada(formerly known as the Atlantic Satellite Network and A Atlantic)
• Citytv Saskatchewan– a similar cable-only affiliate ofCitytvin the Canadian province ofSaskatchewan(formerly known as the Saskatchewan Communications Network)