 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Headquarters | Atlanta,Georgia, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Discovery Global Linear Networks |
| Sister channels | List
|
| History | |
| Founded | December 14, 1990; 34 years ago (1990-12-14) |
| Launched |
|
| Replaced | Court TV(cable television) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Watch Live(U.S. pay-TV subscribers only; 10 minute free trial) |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Affiliated Streaming Service | HBO Max |
| Service(s) | Sling TV,YouTube TV,Hulu,DirecTV Stream |
TruTV (stylized astruTV) is an Americanbasic cablechannel owned byWarner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts reruns ofcomedy,docusoaps andreality shows, with a recent strong primetime focus on live sports. The channel was originally launched on December 14, 1990 asCourt TV, a network that focused oncrime-themed programs such astrue crime documentary series,legal dramas, and coverage of prominent criminal cases. The channel was initially a joint venture betweenTime Warner,Cablevision,American Lawyer Media,Liberty Media, andGE, with Liberty joining the venture a year after its launch in 1991.
By 2005, Liberty Media and Time Warner had purchased ALM, Cablevision and GE's stakes in Court TV. Time Warner subsequently bought out Liberty's share in 2006 for $735 million, and brought the channel under theTurner Broadcasting System. In 2008, the channel relaunched as TruTV, changing its focus to action-orienteddocusoaps and "caught on camera" programs, which it marketed as "actuality" television. The channel continued to carry legal coverage during the daytime hours under the titleIn Session, but that was phased out by September 2013. The Court TV name was later bought by Katz Broadcasting (nowScripps Networks), which since 2017 has been part of theE. W. Scripps Company.
In 2011, the channel began to add occasional sports broadcasts from Turner Sports (renamedTNT Sports in 2023), primarily theNCAA men's basketball tournament. In October 2014, TruTV pivoted its format to focus more oncomedy-based reality series, such asImpractical Jokers. In March 2024, TruTV began to increase its focus on sports programming, introducing a weeknight block that will feature sports-related programming, as well as being incorporated into new and upcoming TNT Sports rights such asMotoGP andNASCAR. As of January 2016,[update] TruTV was available to approximately 91 million households (78.1%) in the United States.[1] By June 2023, this number has dropped to 68.3 million households.[2]
TheCourtroom Television Network, orCourt TV for short, was launched on July 1, 1991, at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and was available to three million subscribers.[3] Its original anchors wereJack Ford,Fred Graham,Cynthia McFadden, andGregg Jarrett. The network was born out of two competing projects to launch cable channels with live courtroom proceedings, the American Trial Network fromTime Warner andAmerican Lawyer Media (ALM), and In Court fromCablevision andGE. Both projects were present at theNational Cable Television Association in June 1990.[4] Rather than trying to establish two competing networks, the projects were combined on December 14, 1990.Liberty Media would join the venture in 1991.
The channel originally consisted of live courtroom trials that are interspersed with anchors and reporters. It was led by law writerSteven Brill, who later left the network in 1997. The network came into its own during theMenéndez brothers' first trial in 1994, and theO.J. Simpson murder trial in 1995.
In 1997, Time Warner acquired ALM to gain ownership of its stake in Court TV;[5] it subsequently sold its publications to a private equity fund in 1998.[6] In 1998, GE sold its share of the network to Time Warner. That same year, Court TV began running several original and acquired programs in prime time, such asHomicide: Life on the Street,Cops, andForensic Files.
In 2001, Court TV purchasedThe Smoking Gun, a website that focuses on legal items such asmug shots and other public documents pertaining to famous individuals and cases. The site remained a property of the company through the rebranding to TruTV, but was sold back to its founder in 2014.[7] In the same year, Court TV also purchased the websiteCrime Library, which provided detailed information about infamous crimes and how they were solved. The website remained an actively updated TruTV property until 2014 and was taken offline in 2015.
On February 3, 2003, "Court TV Plus" debuted onSirius Satellite Radio, featuring audio from Court TV programs. Launched on Channel 134, it was moved in September 2005 and aired on Channel 110 until the channel ceased operations on January 1, 2008.
Recognizing the growth of its primetime programming, Court TV announced in 2005 that it would split its programming into two brands. Daytime trial coverage was branded asCourt TV News, while other dayparts—promoted under the tagline "Seriously Entertaining"—focused onreality shows dealing with crime-related topics. In January 2006, the network launched a male-targeted programming block known as "RED" ("Real. Exciting. Dramatic.").[8][9]
In May 2006, Time Warner acquired Liberty Media's stake in Court TV for $735 million, valuing the channel at $1.5 billion. The channel was integrated into Time Warner'sTurner Broadcasting unit; executives indicated that Court TV planned to maintain its existing format, and did not rule out creating synergies withCNN for their legal coverage.[10][11] In 2007, the channel premiered its first original scripted series,'Til Death Do Us Part—ananthology of crime re-enactments hosted by filmmakerJohn Waters.[12]
On July 11, 2007, Time Warner announced that Court TV would be relaunched as TruTV on January 1, 2008. The new brand was intended to accompany a larger shift towards action-oriented reality series which did not necessarily involve crime or law enforcement, such asBlack Gold,Hardcore Pawn,Lizard Lick Towing,Ocean Force, and the caught-on-camera seriesWorld's Dumbest.... TruTV promoted its new positioning under the slogan "Not Reality. Actuality."; network staff argued that the term "reality" had become associated with "unrealistic" programming, and that it wanted to emphasize that its new programs would feature "real" people.[13][14][15]
As part of the re-branding as TruTV, daytime trial coverage was cut back to 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET and branded asIn Session. In 2009, production of the program was shifted to the facilities ofHLN in Atlanta. On March 4, 2013,In Session was cut to a two-hour, taped format. On September 30, 2013,In Session was cancelled, and replaced by a block of library programming under the titleIn Session Presents.[16][17]
In 2011, as part of a new partnership betweenCBS Sports andTurner Sports, TruTV began to broadcastcoverage of theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[18]
Reruns of Court TV series have since aired on HLN (primarilyForensic Files), and have also been syndicated to the over-the-air digital network Justice Network (nowTrue Crime Network). With changes to HLN's programming strategy and the growing popularity of the genre, the network began to produce and premiere more original true crime programs in 2017.[19][20][21][22] In December 2018, Turner sold the rights to the Court TV brand and programming library to theE. W. Scripps Company'sKatz Broadcasting unit, which relaunched it as an over-the-air digital network in May 2019, reviving the dormant brand after 11 years.[23][24]
Although noting that it had experienced "tremendous success" with individual programs, TruTV's new president and head of programming Chris Linn explained that the network's overall growth as a brand had been hindered due to its lingering association with Court TV and its tone of programming, and its reliance on "conflict-reliant, heavy, dramatic and maybe overly produced"docuseries with derivative premises. In April 2014, the network announced that it would undergo abrand repositioning for the 2014–15 television season aimed towards "funseekers", with a focus on comedy-orienteddocusoaps, semi-scripted series, sketch comedies and reality competitions.[25][26][27]
Building upon the success ofImpractical Jokers (which Linn compared to a "canary in the coal mine" due to its contrasting premise to other truTV programs at the time) andThe Carbonaro Effect, the network greenlit a number of new series as part of the re-launch, includingBarmageddon, the "reality musical"Branson Famous,Fake Off,Hack My Life, andKart Life. As part of the relaunch, a new marketing campaign ("Way More Fun") and updated logo were introduced on October 27, 2014, with the channel being temporarily marketed as "The New truTV" to emphasize the change in format.[25][26][27]
Since the repositioning, TruTV has also parodied its temporary prominence during the NCAA tournament with various advertising campaigns, seeking to promote the channel and its programming to the expanded audience. A common theme of these campaigns, which have included the 2015social media campaign "#HaveUFoundtrutv", and a "truTV Awareness Month" campaign in 2018, involved commenting upon viewers who were having trouble finding TruTV on their television provider's lineup, or were unaware of the channel entirely. Of the former, Puja Vohra, Senior vice president of marketing and digital, explained that the campaign was intended to portray the network's brand as being "fun" and "self-aware".[28][29]
In December 2016, truTV unveiled a new marketing campaign and slogan, "Funny Because It's tru". The campaign reinforced the network's focus on comedy by satirizing the "cliches" oftelevision promos.[30]
On March 4, 2019, AT&T announced a major reorganization of its broadcasting assets to effectively dissolve Turner Broadcasting. Its assets were dispersed across multiple units of WarnerMedia with TruTV along with TBS, TNT and HBO moving to newly formed WarnerMedia Entertainment.[31]
On March 11, 2024, TruTV soft launched a new evening and primetime block focused onTNT Sports content. This will include alternate and simulcast broadcasts of sporting events carried by its sister networks, as well as new studio shows, and sports-related documentaries and films. The division's vice president Luis Silberwasser stated that the block would give TNT Sports a more "consistent" and "comprehensive" presence on its networks. As part of these changes, the channel's last original non-sports series,Impractical Jokers, would also move permanently to TBS beginning that summer (after having recently simulcast new episodes with TruTV).[32] After its soft launch, it was announced in July 2024 that the block would be given a more "pronounced" presence and branding beginning in October.[33] Starting with the2025 edition, the network is used for all-day rotating coverage and replays for tennis'sFrench Open.
The1080high-definition simulcast feed of TruTV is available on all major cable and satellite providers. In March 2011, the channel saw carriage of its HD feed increase, due to its coverage of the2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament (and subsequent tournaments), which was its first-ever live sports telecast.[18]
Presently, TruTV airs a mix of original comedy-genre reality and lifestyle series (such asImpractical Jokers,The Carbonaro Effect, andAdam Ruins Everything), as well as acquired sitcoms (such asAmerican Dad! andFamily Matters) and films.
On February 8, 2010, TruTV premieredNFL Full Contact, a show that gave a behind-the-scenes look at the television production for major football events such as theSuper Bowl, theNFL draft, thePro Bowl, and the season opener; the show was not renewed for a second season.
On March 15, 2011, TruTV began airing live sports programming for the first time with its telecasts of the2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The agreement is part of a contract betweenTurner Sports andCBS Sports resulting inshared coverage of the NCAA men's tournament through 2032. TruTV airs games during the opening rounds of the tournament, and exclusively carries theFirst Four, which was concurrently introduced the same year. It also carries the studio showInside March Madness during the tournament. Until its discontinuation, TruTV also aired the pre-seasonCoaches vs. Cancer Classic.
In 2015, TruTV carried a series ofHBO-producedTop Rankboxing telecasts under the titleMetroPCS Friday Night Knockout, as a companion toHBO World Championship Boxing.[34][35] In May 2016, TruTV broadcast the opening rounds of the inauguralNCAA Beach Volleyball Championship; Turner would also televise the event in 2017.[36][37]
In 2021, TruTV began to serve as an overflow outlet for theNHL on TNT, in the event that a game in a TNT doubleheader runs long.[38][39]
Beginning with the2023 MLB postseason, Warner Bros. Discovery began expanding the number of sports offerings on TruTV. TruTV first simulcast TBS's coverage of the2023 National League Division Series, then provided the alternate broadcastPelotoros during theNLCS, which was hosted byAlanna Rizzo and featured a panel of Hispanic and Latin AmericanMLB players.[40] In November 2023, TruTV began airing the Hall of Fame Series, an early-season college basketball showcase in Las Vegas.[41] TruTV was announced as part ofNASCAR's new media rights with TNT beginning in 2025, airing practice and qualifying sessions for 19NASCAR Cup Series races per season.[42]
During the2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, TruTV began airing asports betting focused alternate telecast. This was shown for two quarterfinal games and TNT's semifinal game.[43] The "BetCast" airs alongside the TNT broadcast for select games. In March 2024, TruTV andMax acquired the U.S. rights to theMotoGP series.[44] In the2023–24 NHL season, TruTV aired multiple alternate broadcasts, including a February 14, 2024 broadcast featuringPaul Bissonnette and the panel of hisSpittin' Chiclets podcast,[45] an April 14 broadcast featuring a real-time3D animated version of the game promoting theWarner Bros. Games-published video gameMultiVersus,[46] and theNHL DataCast during the Western Conference final.[47]
Ahead of the2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, TruTV announced a new slate of sports-related studio programs as part of its relaunched primetime lineup, which includes the evening programsTNT Sports Tonight,[a] hosted byCNN sports correspondentCoy Wire, and the sports betting showThe Line, hosted byAdam Lefkoe. TruTV also airs theNBA TV program#Handles and a weeklyHouse of Highlights television series hosted by "The Broadcast Boys".[32]
Ahead of the2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season, TNT Sports signed a broadcasting agreement with theMountain West Conference to broadcast 14 of the conference's games on TruTV.[48] Despite being announced as a multi-year agreement, it was not renewed beyond the 2024 season.[49] In September 2024,FanDuel TV began syndicating its studio showUp & Adams (hosted by formerNFL Network hostKay Adams) on TruTV; the program had also been syndicated to Max.[50]
In October 2024, TNT and TruTV acquired the rights to the then-upcoming women's three-on-three basketball leagueUnrivaled.[51]
In 2025, TruTV began airing coverage of theFrench Open as part of TNT Sports'rights to the tournament; TruTV primarily airs the whiparound showThe Rally.[52][53]
As Court TV, the channel's programming traditionally consisted of reality legal programming andlegal dramas, such as legal-based news shows, legal-based talk shows, live homicide trial coverage,court shows, police force shows, and other criminal justice programming.
The channel also carried a week-daily news block,In Session (the successor toCourt TV News), which providedlive coverage oftrials, legal news and details of highly publicized crimes Monday through Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m. ET (except during national holidays, with reruns of the channel's reality programming airing in place of the block on such days). Its coverage included analysis from anchors and guests to help viewers understand legal proceedings.In Session also ran a blog,Sidebar, where theIn Session team posted updated legal news and analysis.In Session moved to a new studio in Atlanta at theCNN Center on November 16, 2009. Online coverage of current trials later moved to CNN.com's "Crime" section and production of the block was eventually taken over by sister networkHLN.In Session anchors also appeared onCNN to provide legal analysis about current crime stories and trials. The block ended on September 26, 2013.[54]
Court TV Canada, owned byCHUM Limited (and later acquired byCTVglobemedia which then sold its assets toBell Canada under theBell Media subsidiary), launched on September 7, 2001. Unlike its U.S. counterpart, it did not relaunch under the TruTV name and continued its previous format until August 30, 2010, when, as part of a wider licensing agreement withDiscovery Communications andCTV, Court TV Canada was rebranded as a Canadian version ofInvestigation Discovery.
The U.S. version of Court TV had earlier been approved by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission as an eligible foreign channel in 1997, and indeed, had been carried by several Canadian service providers prior to the launch of the domestic service.[55] Even after its rebrand, TruTV was never withdrawn as an eligible foreign service for carriage on cable and satellite, meaning that, particularly with the end of the licensing agreement with CHUM, there were few theoretical hurdles that prevented TruTV from re-emerging on Canadian service providers.[56]
Ultimately, the rights to TruTV's original programs have been dispersed across other Canadian cable channels, particularlyCMT andAction, both owned byCorus Entertainment, andOLN, owned byRogers Media. Of the three networks, Action had been the predominant broadcaster of TruTV programming. On April 1, 2019, Action was converted to a new full-timeAdult Swim network.
The channel was launched on April 1, 2009, in Latin America replacingRetro, also owned byTurner Broadcasting System. The announcement was made on March 25, 2009, by Turner Broadcasting System Latin America.[57] The channel has the same programming, idents, and bumpers from the U.S. version. On September 3, 2023, it was announced that TruTV would be replaced by 24/7 channel,Adult Swim on October 31.[58]
In May 2014, Turner Broadcasting System announced that it would launch a separate UK version of the U.S. channel. On February 16, 2017,Sony Pictures Television acquired the channel from Turner.[59] On February 12, 2019, the UK channel was renamed True Crime.[60]
The channel was launched on April 1, 2010, in several markets in Asia includingIndonesia, thePhilippines, andSingapore. The channel is owned and operated byTurner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific and has similar programming, idents, and bumpers to the U.S. version, but many are also created by the Turner regional office in Hong Kong. As of 31 December 2018, the selected TruTV programmes is currently shown onWarner TV Asia. The channel shut down alongsideTCM.[61]
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