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| Type |
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|---|---|
| Country | |
| Headquarters | Chicago,Illinois |
| Owner | Think Televisual |
Key people |
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Launch date | September 16, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-09-16) |
| Dissolved | January 14, 2016; 9 years ago (2016-1-14) |
TouchVision was an Americandigital broadcast andinternetVideo on demandtelevision network that was owned by Think Televisual. The service providedrolling news coverage that was distributed to television,mobile andtablet platforms. TouchVision's operations were based out of the headquarters ofWeigel Broadcasting inChicago,Illinois.
TouchVision was co-founded by former radio consultant andXM Satellite Radio executiveLee Abrams (chief content officer), Steven A. Saslow (originalchief executive officer) and Brandon Davis (chief executive officer).[1]
The service launched in beta form on July 1, 2013, onCBS affiliateWDJT-TV inMilwaukee,Wisconsin (owned by Weigel Broadcasting) over its fourthdigital subchannel,[2] replacing a time-purchasedreal estate listings service that was programmed by local realtor Shorewest Realtors.[3] The service officially launched on September 16, 2013.[4] In early November of that year, WDJT sister stationWMEU-CD inChicago began carrying TouchVision on its second digital subchannel.
TouchVision gained its first syndicated client outside of the Weigel properties in December 2014, whenWISH-TV inIndianapolis,Indiana began carrying a half-hour broadcast of the service on weekday mornings (serving as both a lead-in for WISH's local morning newscast and, as a result of the then-pending loss of its CBS affiliation toWTTV, a replacement for theCBS Morning News); the TouchVision simulcast began airing on WISH when it became aCW affiliate on January 1, 2015.[5] Weigel'sHeroes & Icons network also carried the 6 a.m. Eastern hour of programming during its "beta test" period while the schedule was tweaked for its national launch.
WDJT dropped TouchVision from its 58.4 subchannel on January 12, 2015, in advance of the soft launch of the classic television networkCatchy Comedy (then-Decades) (ajoint venture between Weigel andCBS Television Stations) that occurred three days later, though it remained available in the Milwaukee market via sisterindependent stationWMLW-TV, which carried an hour-long simulcast of the service on weekday mornings.[6]
TouchVision ended all on-air operations on January 14, 2016.[7] Programming ceased at 11:59 PM CT on January 14, 2016.[8] The network'sYouTube channel was taken off-line voluntarily in mid-May 2016, with the rights to stories and segments reverting to the network's former contributors.
TouchVision was aimed at a demographic of young adults dubbed by the service as the "Millennials Plus" generation (those between the ages of 18 and 35), who grew up using digital technology and have long adapted tosocial media.[9] TouchVision claimed a collective audience that approached about 1 million viewers each month.[9]
TouchVision was broadcast 24 hours a day in awidescreen format, presenting national and international news in a format similar to anewsreel, using pictures and video footage – mainly adapted from wire services – presented without any on-air anchors;[10] it also provided other news content such as local weather and sports score cut-ins and original feature segments, including social commentary presented byFelonious Munk.[11] A window was provided for a few minutes before the top of the hour, allowing the local station to insert a locally produced news capsule or weather update. The network also aired a half-hour "week in review" program intended to summarize the network's best segments of the week and introduce the network on the affiliate's main station. Weigel's newly launched networkHeroes & Icons began carrying an hour-long daily morning simulcast of TouchVision's programming service, and was televised on a semi-national basis from September 29, 2014, to January 14, 2016.
The service was available as a linear television channel, on itsapps forsmartphones and tablet computers, and a dedicated website. Through alocation setting based onzip code or browser location sharing, the network's feed was also available real-time and with limitedDVR-style controls through the network's website and apps for theiOS App Store andGoogle Play depending upon proximity to an affiliate. All of the networks segment videos could also be viewed on its website, apps,YouTube channel as well as onFacebook.