El Rey Network (Spanish for ''The King'') is a media brand founded by

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...

on December 15, 2013, that is currently owned in a joint venture with FactoryMade Ventures. Until December 31, 2020, El Rey was a cable and satellite network, operated and distributed in-partnership with Univision Communications (now known as

TelevisaUnivision TelevisaUnivision (formerly known as Univision Communications) is a Mexican-American media company headquartered in New York and Mexico City, which owns the American Spanish language broadcast network Univision. 45% of the company is held by the ...

), dedicated to

Grindhouse A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a fil ...

-style programming targeting

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

audiences. By March 2015, approximately 40 million households received El Rey; its carriage would fall to 13 million households by the time of the network's closure.

History

As a television network (2013–2020)

El Rey Network was one of two ethnic outlets created as part of an agreement between Comcast,

NBC Universal The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

, and the

FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...

as a condition for the merger between the former two broadcasters (the other network being Revolt). The network's headquarters was in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, and launched as part of the digital basic service on some of Comcast's systems. Comcast announced that the network was expected to debut by January 2014. In August 2012, Antoinette Alfonso Zel was announced as CEO. In May 2013, Univision Communications (now known as TelevisaUnivision USA) announced that it would be an investor for El Rey, handling the sales and distribution of the network. In November 2013, it was announced that the production of '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series'' had begun. Upon launch in the week of December 15, 2013, El Rey was also offered by cable companies

Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, operat ...

, with

Bright House Networks Bright House Networks, LLC also simply known as Bright House, was an American telecom company. Prior to its purchase by Charter Communications, it was the tenth-largest multichannel video service provider and the 6th largest cable internet prov ...

offering soon later in January 2014, and Cox Communications by February 2014.

Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation was an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It was the fifth-largest cable provider and ninth-largest television provider in the United States. Throughout its ex ...

added the network on April 7, 2014. The first satellite service to host El Rey was

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

in January 2014. That year, Lucha libre program '' Lucha Underground'', featuring wrestlers from Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA) and produced by

Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows ''The Apprentice'', '' Survivor'', ''The Voice'', and ''Sh ...

, premiered on October 29, 2014. The show would go on to become the network's flagship series and both it, and the corresponding promotion, received positive reception. Dish Network would begin carrying El Rey in January 2015. The following month, El Rey was made available through cable company Suddenlink Communications in select markets. El Rey was added to

AT&T U-verse U-verse TV is a DirecTV brand of IPTV service. Launched on June 26, 2006, U-verse included broadband Internet (now AT&T Internet or AT&T Fiber), IP telephone (now AT&T Phone), and IPTV (U-verse TV) services in 48 states.Verizon FiOS that same year. Between 2018 and 2020, various cable and satellite providers began dropping the network. On November 6, 2020, Univision announced it had sold its stake in El Rey, as part of a larger effort by the company to refocus on its core Spanish-language businesses. Soon after, it would be reported that El Rey would cease operations on December 31, though it was speculated that the network would relaunch as a streaming brand. The network went dark at 2:59 a.m.

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

As a streaming network (2021–present)

On August 6, 2021, El Rey Network announced a partnership with Cinedigm that would see the network relaunch as a streaming channel. As part of this agreement, Cinedigm will exclusively distribute Rodriguez's 2019 film, ''

Red 11 ''Red 11'' is a 2019 American science fiction horror film written, produced, and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez co-wrote the film with his son Racer Max, after previously collaborating on ''The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in ...

'', and a companion docuseries titled ''Rebel Without a Crew: The Robert Rodriguez Film School''. El Rey would relaunch later that month via

The Roku Channel The Roku Channel is an American over-the-top video streaming service owned and operated by Roku, Inc., which launched in September 2017. History In September 2017, Roku, Inc. launched a free, ad-supported streaming channel for its digital med ...

on August 17.

Programming

El Rey Network's original programming included action genre series, sports, and lifestyle programming. Annual programming included a marathon of

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...

-produced ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...

'' films during the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

& Independence Day weekends and the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

''Way of the Turkey'' marathon of

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...

films.

Original programming

* '' Baja Desert Championship'' (2017–2020) * ''Bushido Battleground'' (2017) * ''The Chuey Martinez Show'' (2019–2020) * ''Correctamundo!'' (2020) *''Cutting Crew'' * '' The Director's Chair with Robert Rodriguez'' (2014–2020) * ''El Rey Nation'' (2019–2020) * ''Explosion Jones'', starring

Michael Madsen Michael Søren Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. He has starred in many films and television series, frequently collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, most famously in the latter's debut film '' Reservoir Dogs'' (1 ...

Note: Scroll down the target page to the digital magazine for Winter 2017/2018 and access page 99. * '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series'' (2014–2016) * '' Lucha Underground'' (2014–2018) * ''Man at Arms: Art of War'' (2017–2020) * ''¡MARIA!'' with Maria Cardona (2020) * ''

Matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

'' (2014) * '' Rebel Without a Crew: The Series'' (2018) * ''Rite of Passage'' (2017) * ''United Tacos of America'' (2019–2020) * '' Vampiro: Unleashed'' (2020)

Acquired programming

* '' 19-2'' * ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...

'' * ''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for '' Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with ...

'' * '' Almost Human'' * ''

Biker Mice from Mars ''Biker Mice from Mars'' is an American science fiction action animated series created by Rick Ungar. The series premiered in syndication the week of September 19, 1993. It consists of three seasons of 65 episodes, with the final episode airin ...

'' * '' Clerks: The Animated Series'' * ''

Cold Squad ''Cold Squad'' is a Canadian police procedural television series that premiered on CTV on January 23, 1998, at 10 p.m., and ran for seven seasons. Led by Sergeant Ali McCormick ( Julie Stewart), a team of homicide detectives from the Vancouver Pol ...

'' * ''

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

'' * ''Core Culture'' * '' Crunch Time'' * ''

Day 5 ''Day 5'' is an American post-apocalyptic drama web series created by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Josh Flanagan, and Chris Demarais. It premiered on Rooster Teeth's website on June 19, 2016. New episodes premiered exclusively on Rooster Teeth site v ...

'' * '' Demons'' * ''Flatland'' * ''

Freddy's Nightmares ''Freddy's Nightmares'' is an American horror anthology television series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series, each episode is introduced by Freddy Kruege ...

'' * ''

Happy Tree Friends ''Happy Tree Friends'' is an American adult animated web series created by Aubrey Ankrum, Rhode Montijo, and Kenn Navarro, and developed by Montijo, Navarro, and Jeremy Viet Duong for Mondo Media. The show had achieved a cult following on Mo ...

'' (Season 3-4) * ''

Human Target The Human Target is the name of two fictional characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first is Fred Venable, while the second is private investigator and bodyguard Christopher Chance who assumes the identities of clients tar ...

'' * '' I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali'' * '' Incredible Hulk'' * ''

Kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Ca ...

'' * ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' * ''

Mercy Point Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, rel ...

'' * ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...

'' * '' Mondo Animation Hour'' * ''

Night Sweats Night sweats, also referred to as nocturnal hyperhidrosis (Hyperhidrosis - a medical term for excessive sweating + nocturnal - night), is the repeated occurrence of excessive sweating during sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and bo ...

'' (2016-2018) * ''

Night Visions ''Night Visions'' is the debut studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. It was released on September 4, 2012, through Kidinakorner and Interscope Records. The album was primarily produced by the band themselves, as well as Eng ...

'' * '' Pros vs. Joes'' * ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...

'' * '' Red vs. Blue'' * '' Relic Hunter'' * ''

Texas Justice ''Texas Justice'' is a syndicated American arbitration-based reality court show. In the program, cases were run by former Houston attorney Larry Joe Doherty, and the program was recorded at the studios of Fox station KRIV (Channel 26) in Ho ...

'' * ''

Toxic Crusaders ''Toxic Crusaders'' is a 1991 animated series aimed at children, loosely based on '' The Toxic Avenger'' films. It features Toxie, the lead character of the films, leading a group of misfit superheroes who combat pollution. This followed a trend o ...

'' * ''

Stargate Atlantis ''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Coop ...

'' * ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...

'' * '' Starhunter: ReduX'' * '' Starsky and Hutch'' * ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...

'' * ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' * ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...

'' * '' V'' * '' Xena: Warrior Princess''

Film releases

* ''

Crow's Blood ''Crow's Blood'' (stylized as ''CROW'S BLOOD'') is a Japanese six-episode horror streaming television drama series with an original story concept written by Yasushi Akimoto and executive produced by Darren Lynn Bousman. It stars Mayu Watanabe ...

'' * ''

Kung Fury ''Kung Fury'' is a 2015 English-language Swedish martial arts comedy featurette film written and directed by David Sandberg. It pays homage to 1980s martial arts and police action films. The film stars Sandberg in the title role, Jorma Taccone, ...

'' * ''The People's Network Showcase'' * ''

References

External links

* * * {{Robert Rodriguez 2013 establishments in Texas Television channels and stations established in 2013 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2020 Robert Rodriguez Former Univision Communications subsidiaries

History

As a television network (2013–2020)

As a streaming network (2021–present)

Programming

Original programming

Acquired programming

Film releases

See also

References

Further reading

External links