 | |
| Type | Planned but unlaunchedbroadcasttelevision network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Guardian Enterprise Group |
| Key people | Richard Schilg, President and Founder |
| History | |
| Former names | GTN[1] |
.2 Network (pronouncedDot-Two Network) was the name of a plannedtelevision network designed fordigital television subchannels (hence the ".2") owned by Guardian Enterprise Group.[1] Announced in 2008, the network never ended up going to air due to financial and technical difficulties.
The channel was originally scheduled for launch on December 8, 2008.[2] However, citing theplanned 2009 conclusion of US digital TV transition, the launch of .2 Network was delayed until sometime in Spring 2009.[3] Network executives had announced an intention to delay the launch until the channel could reach at least 30% of US households, a milestone which at that time was predicted not to be reached until October 2009, almost a full year behind the original schedule.[4] Ultimately, this milestone was never reached. The network's website, which from 2008 to 2010 had previews and info of the network, was reduced to a logo and telephone number as of mid-2010.[5] As of 2011, plans for the network were "on hold."[6]
As of April 2013, the .2 website went offline, and with Sony announcing the fall 2013 launch of theGetTV network featuring theColumbia Pictures andTriStar Pictures film library through digital subchannels onUnivision andUniMás stations, all of the network's announced film and television rights (detailed below) are now with other digital subchannel networks.
.2 Network had licensing agreements withSony Pictures Entertainment,NBCUniversal,Disney,Hallmark Channel andScreen Media.[1] 2 Network's proposed programming includedGidget,The Flying Nun, and hundreds of blockbuster movies. The .2 network was also to be a source for multiple broadcast premieres, with the prime-time line-up following a movie channel like format.[7] Other programs were to include lifestyle-related, special-interest, andE/I programming, includingAnimal Rescue andMissing for its affiliated stations.[8]
After the announcement of .2 Network's plans, similar subchannel networks launched and usurped .2 Network's original programming rights.Antenna TV launched on January 1, 2011, utilizing theSony Pictures Television library (itself later also used for Sony's owngetTV).[9] NBC Universal would also later sell rights of its programming to another similar network,Retro Television Network (RTV), but under their new Comcast ownership, removed their programming from RTV in June 2011, then signed a new agreement withMeTV after that to provide them most of the same programming, and launched their own network with library content,Cozi TV, in January 2013.
.2 Network had confirmed carriage in the following markets:[10][11]
.2 Network had plans to offer a720pHDTV feed to its affiliates for either the subchannel or as acable offering, despite some engineers' skepticism at the time of carrying two HDTV channels on one DTV frequency.[11] This has since been rectified, but most digital subchannels not associated with the largest six English-language or two Spanish-language networks continue to carry their signals solely in480i.