 | |
| Type | Free-to-airtelevision network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide coverage: 84.74%[1] |
| Headquarters | Chicago,Illinois |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 720pHDTV master feed, can be downscaled to480iSDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| Parent | Start TV LLC[2] |
| Key people |
|
| Sister channels | MeTV MeTV+ MeTV Toons Catchy Comedy Heroes & Icons Movies! Story Television WEST Dabl |
| History | |
| Launched | September 3, 2018; 7 years ago (2018-09-03) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| List of affiliates | |
| Streaming media | |
| Service(s) | DirecTV Stream,Frndly TV,FuboTV,Philo,Sling TV,YouTube TV |
Start TV is an Americanfree-to-airtelevision network owned as ajoint venture betweenWeigel Broadcasting and theCBS News and Stations subsidiary ofParamount Skydance Corporation. Predominantly carried on thedigital subchannels of its affiliatedtelevision station in most markets, it primarily airs classic television drama series from the 1980s through the 2010s, with a focus on women-led dramas,police andlegal procedurals. The network originates from Weigel Broadcasting's headquarters onNorth Halsted Street inChicago,Illinois.[3][4]
On July 18, 2018, CBS Television Stations and Weigel Broadcasting announced the formation of Start TV, with plans to launch the network onLabor Day of that year (September 3).[3] The network initially debuted on the subchannels of five of Weigel's TV stations, three stations owned byBahakel Communications, 17CBS TV stations,[5][6][7] and threeCWowned-and-operated stations.
Weigel indicated that CBS suggested the idea for the network to allow more modern programming not being carried by cable networks or streaming services to find a place to air.[8] Start TV officially launched on September 3, 2018, at 6:00 a.m.Eastern Time, with the pilot episode ofTouched by an Angel ("The Southbound Bus") as its inaugural broadcast.Variety's 2019Nielsen ratings list showed that Start TV averaged 114,000 viewers in prime time, up 65% from the 2018 average.[9]
Similar to its male-targeted sister networkHeroes & Icons (H&I), Start TV airslegal/police procedurals and various other dramas (withGilmore Girls added in May 2025) - but instead targeting a female audience, featuring shows led by/centered around women. The network features series from the 1980s to the 2010s,[8] and runs a uniform programming schedule with shows airing mainly at the same time seven days a week.[3] Start TV also has a one-hour block ofE/I children's programming on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.Eastern Time in order to fulfillFCC obligations.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2023) |
As of August 2018[update], Start TV had affiliation agreements with television stations in 27media markets encompassing 20 states, covering 45.52% of the United States.[1] The network is carried on thedigital subchannels oftelevision stations in most of its markets (with potential exceptions in certain areas where a future affiliate may opt to carry the network on its main feed), and is also carried oncable television providers through theirdigital tiers at the discretion of the affiliate's parent station in certain markets. The network initially launched primarily on subchannels of stations owned by Weigel Broadcasting andCBS Television Stations. (In many of the CBS markets, Start TV displaced Weigel and CBS's classic television network ventureDecades, with Weigel assuming the local Decades affiliation rights on stations it owns in certain markets where CBS Television Stations owns a CBS and/or CWowned-and-operated station, such asLos Angeles andSan Francisco.)Bahakel Communications also contributed stations to serve as charter affiliates.[3]
InSouth Bend, Indiana (where Weigel Broadcasting owns ABC affiliateWBND-LD,CW affiliateWCWW-LD andMyNetworkTV affiliateWMYS-LD) andMilwaukee, Wisconsin (where Weigel ownsCBS affiliateWDJT-TV,independent stationWMLW, MeTV owned-and-operated stationWBME-CD andTelemundo affiliateWYTU-LD), the network displacedThis TV on WCWW-LD2 and WYTU-LD3, effectively leaving that network without an affiliate in either market. (Weigel – which was part-owner of that network from its founding in October 2008 – had continued to hold the This TV affiliation rights for the Milwaukee market afterTribune Broadcasting assumed Weigel's interest and operational responsibilities in the network in November 2013; Tribune's former Milwaukee station,WITI, never claimed the This TV affiliation in the market despite Weigel moving the This affiliation to lower-tier channel slots several times.)[10]
In October 2020, Start TV was made available onSling TV.[11] On April 19, 2022, Start TV began airing on theFrndly TV live streaming service.[12]
© 2020 START TV LLC