 | |
| Country | United StatesLatin America |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | February 1, 1984; 41 years ago (1984-02-01) |
| Replaced |
|
| Closed | January 1985; 40 years ago (1985-01)(on Nickelodeon's channel space) |
| Replaced by | Nick at Nite(on Nickelodeon's channel space) |
| Former names |
|
| Links | |
| Website | aetv |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Service(s) | DirecTV Stream,Frndly TV,Hulu + Live TV,Philo,Sling TV |
A&E (an initialism of its original name, theArts & Entertainment Network) is an Americancable andsatellitetelevision network and the flagship property ofA+E Global Media, a joint venture betweenHearst Communications andComcast (through theDisney General Entertainment Content division ofDisney Entertainment). A&E was launched on February 1, 1984, as a block onNickelodeon. The network originally focused onfine arts, documentaries,dramas andeducational entertainment. Today, it deals primarily in non-fiction programming, includingreality television,true crime, documentaries and miniseries, thus de-emphasizing its full name in the process.
Since 1985, it is no longer a programming block, due to its joint owners spinning it off into a 24-hour channel while Nickelodeon later launchedNick at Nite to fill in the time slot A&E formerly held. As of November 2023[update], A&E is available to approximately 63,000,000 pay television households in the United States – down from its 2011 peak of 100,000,000 households.[1] The American version of the channel is being distributed in Canada while international versions were launched forAustralia, Latin America, and Europe.
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A&E launched on February 1, 1984, initially available to 9.3 millioncable television homes in the U.S. and Canada.[2] The network is a result of the 1984 merger of Hearst/ABC'sAlpha Repertory Television Service (ARTS) and (pre–General Electric merger)RCA-owned The Entertainment Channel.[3]
It was originally available in two versions, one in an 8-hour version, which was to followNickelodeon on RCASatcom III-R, the other was a full 20-hour version, on another satellite provider, theWestar V.[4] In 1984, the signal split off from Nickelodeon, once A&E picked up its 20-hour signal on RCASatcom III-R.[5] In response, Nickelodeon launched its own nighttime blockNick at Nite to displace A&E on many signals.[6]
In 1986, the network premiered one of the first classical music videos to be broadcast in the United States and Canada, theKendall Ross Bean: Chopin Polonaise in A Flat.[7][8][9]
By 1990, original programming accounted for 35 to 40 percent of A&E's content.[10]Biography, a one-hour documentary series that was revived in 1987, was considered to be the network's signature show.[11] In 1994, airings ofBiography went from weekly broadcasts to airing five nights a week, which helped boost A&E's ratings to record levels.[10] The nightly series became A&E's top-rated show and one of cable television's most notable successes.[11]Biography receivedPrimetime Emmy Awards in 1999 and 2002.[citation needed]
In 1993,Rockefeller Group’sRadio City Music Hall sold its 12.5% stake of A&E toCapital Cities/ABC,Hearst &NBC, NBC owns 25% stake of A&E, while the others 37.5% stake of the two. In 1994, the channel picked up reruns ofLaw & Order on an eight-year agreement, which would help bring in additional viewers.[12]
In May 1995, the channel's name officially changed to theA&E Network,[13] to reflect its declining focus on arts and entertainment.[14] The following year, the network had branded itself as simply A&E, using the slogans "Time Well Spent" and in 1998, "Escape the Ordinary." "The word 'arts,' in regard to television, has associations such as 'sometimes elitist,' 'sometimes boring,' 'sometimes overly refined' and 'doesn't translate well to TV,'" Whitney Goit, executive vice president for sales and marketing, stated. "Even the arts patron often finds arts on TV not as satisfying as it should be ... And the word 'entertainment' is too vague. Therefore, much like ESPN uses its letters rather than what they stand for – Entertainment Sports (Programming) Network – we decided to go to just A&E." Of the network's tagline, Goit said, "Intellectually, 'Time well spent' defines a comparison between those who view a lot of television as a wasteland, and their acknowledgment that there are good things on TV and that they'd like to watch more thought-provoking TV."[15]
A&E andMeridian Broadcasting commissionedHoratio Hornblower (1999), winner of twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, and the seven subsequent dramas in the series;Dash and Lilly (1999), which received nine Emmy nominations; andThe Crossing (2000), which won thePeabody Award. The network created two original weekly drama series,Sidney Lumet's100 Centre Street[16] andNero Wolfe,[17] both of which ran from 2001 to 2002.[16]
In 2002, the contract forLaw and Order had expired with the renewal asking price at four times the original per episode fee. Dropping that show allowed the channel to move to more "brand-defining scripted and nonfiction series."[12] That same year, A&E would shift its focus towardreality television in order to attract a younger demographic[18] and cancelled the network's two original scripted series. In May 2003, A&E launched a marketing campaign with the network's new tagline, "The Art of Entertainment."[19] Between 2003 and 2007, the channel gradually retired several long-running series, moving several shows toThe Biography Channel and introducing new reality programming.[20] In 2005,[21] A&E launched their feature film production arm A&E IndieFilms.[22]
ThedocudramaFlight 93, about the hijacking of the plane which crashed inPennsylvania during theSeptember 11 attacks, was the most watched program on the network; it attracted 5.9 million viewers for its initial telecast on January 30, 2006. This was later surpassed byDuck Dynasty's third season premiere. The previous record-holder for the network was aWorld War II docudrama,Ike: Countdown to D-Day, starringTom Selleck and broadcast in 2004, with 5.5 million viewers.[23] A&E later acquired rights to rerun theHBO seriesThe Sopranos; its A&E premiere on January 10, 2007, averaged 3.86 million viewers, making it the most-watched premiere of a rerun off-network series in cable television history at the time.[24] The series continued to perform well for A&E, and led the network to regularly rank in the top ten basic U.S. cable channels in prime time ratings.[25]
On May 26, 2008, in conjunction with the premiere of the original filmThe Andromeda Strain, A&E rebranded with a new logo and slogan,Real Life. Drama., representing its shift to a more contemporary network with a focus on scripted programming.[26][27] Additional shows in this major scripted push were drama seriesThe Cleaner andThe Beast, which both lasted two seasons.[16] A&E ordered several dramas for Fall 2009, including projects fromJerry Bruckheimer,Shawn Ryan andLynda Obst, and a Western miniseries fromKevin Costner.[28] On July 10, 2012,NBCUniversal announced it would sell 15.8% stake of A&E Networks to Disney and Hearst, making the company a 50-50 joint venture.
On December 11, 2013, A&E unveiled a new on-air brand identity built around the slogan "Be Original", emphasizing the network's lineup of original productions and positioning it as a "much lighter, more fun place to come and spend time".[27][29][30] The success ofDuck Dynasty,Bates Motel andStorage Wars put A&E fourth in 2013 among cable channels in the key 18-to-49 age demographic.[12]
On February 20, 2014, A&E Networks UK announced a UK version of the channel to launch on Sky channel 168 on March 24, with a Virgin Media launch date planned for next year. In Spain and Portugal, the channel was launched on October 1, 2014, replacing The Biography Channel in that market.[31]
In 2015, A&E picked up theCBS dramaUnforgettable for a fourth season as well as the second season of docuseriesMarried at First Sight, which will move from sister networkFYI. The network also announced the revival ofIntervention following its cancellation in 2013.[32][33]
In October 2016, A&E premieredLive PD, alive series that followed U.S. police departments on patrol in real-time. The show would quickly garner commercial success; in 2018, a survey byInscape foundLive PD to be the most-watched program among non-live (DVR and VOD) andover-the-top viewers in 2018.[34][35]Live PD was among the most-watched programs on cable television during its run and was credited for allowing A&E to reverse the trend of systematic viewership declines seen across cable television networks.[36]
On January 19, 2017, A&E announced a reboot ofCold Case Files, over a decade after its final season premiered in 2006.[37] A revival of theBiography franchise would also launch on June 28, 2017, withThe Notorious Life of Biggie Smalls.[16]
In June 2020, amid a suspension in light of theGeorge Floyd protests, A&E cancelledLive PD after reports were confirmed that the show's producers had recorded and then deleted footage of thekilling of Javier Ambler under police custody. The footage was erased after the Austin Police Department conducted an investigation using thebody cam footage they had from the officers. While defending the show in a statement, hostDan Abrams said that "contrary to many incorrect reports, neither A&E nor the producers ofLive PD were asked for the footage or an interview by investigators from law enforcement or the District Attorney's office."[38][39][40] A&E's over-reliance on the series to fill its schedule resulted in the network losing half of its audience; up until that point, A&E's primetime viewership had been up by 4% year-over-year.[41]
In 2021, A&E began a partnership with theprofessional wrestling promotionWWE to develop original content chronicling the company's history and performers, including eight episodes ofBiography focusing on WWE figures, andWWE's Most Wanted Treasures—a series followingStephanie McMahon andPaul "Triple H" Levesque in their search of wrestling memorabilia.[42]Most Wanted Treasures was A&E's most-watched new series in 2021, while the premiere of aBiography episode onStone Cold Steve Austin attracted the franchise's highest viewership in 16 years.[43]
In 2022, WWE and A&E announced a 24-episode renewal forMost Wanted Treasures, an additional 35Biography: WWE Legends episodes, and the new seriesWWE Rivals.[44][43]Rivals was renewed for a second season that premiered in February 2023, alongside the third season ofBiography: WWE Legends.[45] In December 2024, WWE announced a new reality series—WWE LFG—to premiere in 2025, as well as the new documentary seriesWWE's Greatest Moments and renewals forWWE Rivals.[46] In March 2025, A&E renewedWWE LFG andWWE's Greatest Moments.[47]
Notable original series seen on A&E have includedLeah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,Breakfast with the Arts,[48]The First 48,Duck Dynasty,Intervention,Live PD,Storage Wars andWahlburgers.[16][49]
Beginning in January 2022, A&E broadcast a 12-part series entitled "Secrets of Playboy." This included allegations that Hugh Hefner himself had committed rape and sexual assault. The show also included claims that other men in the Playboy orbit, such as Bill Cosby, had committed rape. One of the women coming forward was Sondra Theodore, Hefner's girlfriend in the late 1970s and early '80s. She stated that many people in fact believed the reports and accusations, but tended to blame the women anyway because of the reputation of the Playboy Mansion, even though Playboy tried to put forward a healthy "Girl Next Door" attitude. This A&E series also include claims by Dr. Mark Saginor's estranged daughter, by Theodore, and by former butler Mitch Rosen that the doctor was not only Hefner's live-in physician, but also his male lover. Dr. Saginor said this was not the case.[50]
Some Playboy employees signed a statement which read: “ . . Our time within Hugh Hefner's Playboy and the organization's subsidiaries remains a period all of us are fond of. I proudly sign this letter in recognition of Hugh Hefner's character amid unfounded allegations in the A&E show.” In response, A&E issued a statement which read: “The stories shared in Secrets of Playboy are the personal experiences of the documentary's participants and deserve to be told despite how difficult they may be for some to hear. Signatures on a letter, or a different experience with Mr. Hefner or the Playboy culture, do not negate the experiences of those who have come forward . . ”[51]
The 2014 cancellation ofLongmire drew viewer backlash over the network citing that the show skewed an older audience as one of the reasons.[52][53] The series was later picked up byNetflix.[16]
On December 19, 2013, A&E attempted to place Phil Robertson fromDuck Dynasty on an indefinite hiatus following remarks onhomosexuals in an interview withGQ.[54][55][56] A&E said in a statement, "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments inGQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the seriesDuck Dynasty. His personal views in no way reflect those ofA+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community."[57][58][59] On December 27, 2013, A&E announced they would begin filming again with the entire Robertson family after an outcry from show viewers and discussions with the Robertson family and numerous advocacy groups, a decision which itself resulted in more criticism of the network for refusing to stand by its original statement.[60]
Earlier, A&E had been criticized for extremechannel drift from its original focus on thefine arts. For example,Maury Chaykin reflected on the cancellation of the A&E original seriesA Nero Wolfe Mystery in a 2008 interview: "I'm a bit jaded and cynical about which shows succeed on television. I worked on a fantastic show once calledNero Wolfe, but at the time A&E was transforming from the premiere intellectual cable network in America to one that airsDog the Bounty Hunter on repeat, so it was never promoted and eventually went off the air."[61]
Two years agoNick Davatzes, president and chief executive of A&E Television Networks, called his executives to a retreat, to 'wallow in the mud,' as he described the exercise. From that wallowing emerged an overhaul in management and outlook, including the conclusion that reality television could not be ignored if the network wanted younger viewers.
