 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Teton Ridge |
| History | |
| Launched | 1979 |
| Former names | National Christian Network (1979–1986) Liberty Broadcasting Network (1986–1988) FamilyNet (1988–2017) |
| Links | |
| Website | Official website |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Sling TV | Internet Protocol television |
The Cowboy Channel is an American cable television network in over 42 million cable and satellite homes,[1] which carriesWestern programming androdeo sports. The network was founded in 1979 as theNational Christian Network, later took the name FamilyNet in 1988 under the ownership ofJerry Falwell,[2] and then in 2017 was rebranded as The Cowboy Channel.
In November 2024, it was announced that Western sports and entertainment company Teton Ridge had acquired The Cowboy Channel, along with The Cowgirl Channel and their live streaming and on-demand service, Cowboy Channel+.[3] Until then, the networks were operated byRural Media Group, which ownsRFD-TV.
The channel was acquired byInTouch Ministries in October 2007 from theSouthern Baptist Convention.[4] In December 2009, FamilyNet was acquired byRobert A. Schuller's ComStar Media Fund.[5] In 2010, FamilyNet was spun out into its own company, with Robert A. Schuller as the chairman.[6]
The organization also operatedFamilyNet Radio 161, a full-time Christian talk channel onSirius Satellite Radio, but was discontinued on November 30, 2010;FamilyTalk replaced it.
From 2011 to 2012, the channel showed sitcoms likeThe Bob Newhart Show,Newhart, andMr. Belvedere.
On October 24, 2012,Rural TV purchased FamilyNet, and the transaction took effect on January 1, 2013. At first the network was used to carry an all-trading day format of farm and market news, which eventually moved to a reduced timeslot on RFD-TV due to low interest and ratings. Rural Media, which had considered merging RFD-TV and FamilyNet together to gain over-the-air carriage, eventually decided to keep FamilyNet as a separate service, but with a refocus in programming towards classic television programming which was not picked up by competitorsMeTV,Antenna TV andCozi TV. Rural Media also decided not to renew over-the-air contracts with stations in a slow process in order to make it a cable-only network. A number of former FamilyNet affiliates (mainly religious stations) continue to carry programming recorded from the network's feed before the Rural TV sale, seemingly under a perpetual license.
In September 2014, FamilyNet was refocused with classic television series and films from theSony Pictures Television libraries, with Sony also assisting with advertising sales. Religious programming, which used to make up the vast majority of the schedule under SBC and Schuller's ownership, was limited to Sunday mornings, though Rural Media also maintained FamilyNet'spaid programming overnights despite their executives' traditional disdain for depending on those programs for revenue. (RFD-TV since also began to carry overnightpaid programming.)
On June 19, 2017, Rural Media Group CEOPatrick Gottsch announced that on July 1, FamilyNet would be rebranded as The Cowboy Channel, featuring a focus on Western sports and rodeo events, which had proven to be a popular attraction on RFD-TV.[7] Gottsch thanked Sony Pictures Television for bringing the network to a solid footing, but noted that overwhelming competition in the classic television space from networks such asMeTV,Antenna TV,Cozi TV,Heroes & Icons and several other networks and streaming options had made the space more competitive and crowded, while a Western sports network was seen as a unique opportunity to stand out in cable and satellite lineups.[8][9][10] Among the network's first offerings were encore events from RFD'sThe American Rodeo, theCalgary Stampede, and theProfessional Bull Riders archives. Sony's archived programming thus moved to their ownGetTV at the start of 2018.
The Cowboy Channel signed a multi-year agreement with theProfessional Rodeo Cowboys Association to televise and stream their major events, including theNational Finals Rodeo, starting in 2020.[11]
With the network conversion, Rural Media used the opportunity to end their carriage agreements with over-the-air broadcasters, rendering the Cowboy Channel as a pay-TV only offering.
ACanadian version of the channel was launched on February 1, 2020, on Shaw Direct television systems through a partnership with Rural Media.
The Cowgirl Channel was launched on March 1, 2023. It specializes in programming about women in professional rodeo, western fashion, and rural lifestyles in general through the perspectives of women. Rodeos not televised on The Cowboy Channel are televised on The Cowgirl Channel.[12]
In 2023, The Cowboy Channel signed a multi-year agreement with theCanadian Professional Rodeo Association to televise and stream their major events, including theCanadian Finals Rodeo through December 31, 2027.The Cowboy Channel Canada also televises these events.[13]
Patrick Gottsch, the founder and president of Rural Media Group, died on May 18, 2024, at the age of 70.[14] He was succeeded in leadership of Rural Media Group by his two eldest daughters, Raquel Gottsch Koehler and Gatsby Gottsch Solheim.[15]
Much of the Cowboy Channel's non-sports programming is drawn from RFD-TV's program library, with an emphasis on ranching and rodeo programs (thus the Cowboy Channel does not carry RFD-TV's music,agribusiness or news programming). Like RFD-TV, the Cowboy Channel carries brokeredtelevangelism programming on Sunday mornings.
| Title | Genre | Original network |
|---|---|---|
| All in the Family | Sitcom | CBS (1971–1979) |
| Archie Bunker's Place | Sitcom | CBS (1979–1983) |
| Barney Miller | Sitcom | ABC (1975–1982) |
| The Brady Bunch | Sitcom | ABC (1972–1974) |
| The Facts of Life | Sitcom | NBC (1979–1988) |
| Good Times | Sitcom | CBS (1974–1979) |
| Malcolm & Eddie | Sitcom | UPN (1996–2000) |
| Maude | Sitcom | CBS (1972–1978) |
| One Day at a Time | Sitcom | CBS (1975–1984) |
| Sanford and Son | Sitcom | NBC (1972–1977) |
| Silver Spoons | Sitcom | NBC (1982–1986) Syndication (1986–1987) |
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