 | |
| Type | Digital broadcasttelevision network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide coverage: 83%[1] |
| Headquarters | Chicago,Illinois |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 720p (HDTV) 480i (SDTV on most OTA affiliates) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Weigel Broadcasting |
| Parent | H&I National Limited Partnership[2] |
| Key people |
|
| Sister channels | Catchy Comedy Dabl MeTV MeTV+ MeTV Toons Movies! Start TV Story Television WEST |
| History | |
| Launched | September 28, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-09-28) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| SeeList of affiliates | |
| Streaming media | |
| Service(s) | Frndly TV,FuboTV,Philo,Sling TV,DirecTV Stream |
Heroes & Icons (H&I) is an Americandigital multicasttelevision network owned byWeigel Broadcasting. Usually carried on thedigital subchannels of its affiliatedtelevision 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, andsuperhero programming.
H&I operates from Weigel Broadcasting's headquarters onNorth Halsted Street inChicago,Illinois, and is essentially anoffshoot ofMeTV – the general classic TV digital networks also owned by Weigel.[3]
Heroes & Icons was soft-launched with limited advanced promotion on September 28, 2014, as adiginet of Weigel-owned stationsWWME-CD (channel 23.2) andWCIU-TV (channel 26.4) inChicago, andWMLW-TV (channel 49.3) inMilwaukee. Heroes & Icons was created at the request of the affiliates of Weigel's existing networks, to increase their programming options.[3]
The network also launched in theSouth Bend, Indiana market, along with the major cable providers in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets (includingComcast Xfinity,RCN andTime Warner Cable) using existing carriage.[3] Weigel opted to soft launch H&I in order to fine-tune its schedule, along with adding additional programming to the fledgling network.[4] With the network having settled on a more stabilized schedule, Weigel moved the Heroes & Icons affiliation in Milwaukee to the third subchannel ofCBS affiliateWDJT-TV (channel 58) on March 5, 2015, withThis TV – which previously occupied the 58.3 space – moving to WMLW-DT3 in its place.[5]Fox Television Stations expanded its relationship with Weigel beyondMovies!, adding it to eleven of their stations in the fourth quarter of 2015.[6] A list of 2019Nielsen ratings published byVariety indicated that Heroes & Icons averaged 196,000 viewers in prime time, up 18% from the 2018 average.[7]
H&I's program schedule features a mix ofpolice procedurals,westerns,science fiction,superhero andaction/adventure-themed programs.[3] The network also carries a three-hour block of children's programming on Sunday mornings to fulfillFCC mandatedE/I obligations.
Since 2016, a prominent staple in H&I's lineup is the airing of five live action classicStar Trek series called "All Star Trek" (The Original Series,Next Generation,Deep Space Nine,Voyager, andEnterprise) Sunday through Friday evenings from 8pm-1am ET.
Weekdays feature a mix of westerns and various action shows from 5am-12pm ET, includingTrackdown,The Rebel,Wanted Dead or Alive,Cheyenne,MacGyver,Nash Bridges andThe A-Team.Then, its followed by "The Day Shift", abinge block of various crime dramas and action/adventure shows through the afternoon, airing a different show every weekday (The A-Team on Mondays,JAG on Tuesdays,NCIS on Wednesdays,CSI: Cyber on Thursdays andHawaii Five-O on Fridays) from 12pm-5pm ET, with an episode ofWalker, Texas Ranger and 2 episodes ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigation airing early evenings from 5pm-8pm ET, and theAll Star Trek block primetime through late evenings.
Weekends feature a morningDC Comics-based superhero block, featuring Adventures of Superman,Batman, andWonder Woman.[8]
A military block called "War Heroes", airs on Saturday nights, with war/military themed programs such asBlack Sheep Squadron,Combat!,12 O'Clock High,Tour of Duty,Garrison's Gorillas andThe Unit.
As of July 2016[update], Heroes & Icons has current affiliation agreements with television stations in 63media markets encompassing 33 states, covering 69.21% of the United States.[9] The network is carried on thedigital subchannels oftelevision stations in most of its markets (with current exceptions includingSt. George, Utah O&OKCSG, which has widespread cable and satellite coverage in theSalt Lake City market and throughoutUtah. The network is also carried oncable television providers through theirdigital tiers at the discretion of the affiliate's parent station in certain markets, and in 2020, Heroes & Icons is available nationwide onDISH Network channel 293.
InSouth Bend,Indiana, where Weigel Broadcasting owns three television stations (ABC affiliateWBND-LD,CW affiliateWCWW-LD andMyNetworkTV affiliateWMYS-LD), the network is instead carried by former Fox affiliateWSJV through an agreement with that station's ownerGray Television (it took over the main signal on October 1, 2016, as that station was under consideration to sell its spectrum in that year's spectrum auction, though it ultimately remained on the air). The network added additional stations by early December 2014, which in addition to WSJV, includedKCSG in theSalt Lake City market (a station Weigel eventually purchased in 2017) and a digital subchannel ofDes MoinesCBS affiliateKCCI.[10]
On September 18, 2015, Weigel signed an affiliation agreement withFox Television Stations to carry the network on subchannels of the group's Fox and MyNetworkTVowned-and-operated stations in eleven markets, includingNew York City,Los Angeles,Dallas,San Francisco, andWashington, D.C., beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015. Once all of the stations involved in the agreement affiliated with the network, H&I will expand its coverage to 52% of all U.S. households and availability in eight of the 10 largest Nielsen markets.[6] Weigel also maintains a secondary agreement withSpectrum to carry the network nationwide on that cable service, slotting the network's national feed on systems where a terrestrial affiliate does not exist or is not under contract to be carried.[citation needed]
In October 2020, Heroes & Icons was made available onSling TV.[11] On April 19, 2022, Heroes & Icons began airing on theFrndly TV live streaming service.[12] On August 9, 2022, Heroes & Icons became available onPhilo.[13]
On December 28, 2023, Heroes & Icons was made available nationwide also onDirecTV.[14]
© 2020 H&I National Limited Partnership