Reelz (formerly known as Reelz Channel) is an American

digital cable Digital cable is the distribution of cable television using digital data and video compression. The technology was first developed by General Instrument. By 2000, most cable companies offered digital features, eventually replacing their previo ...

and

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

television network A television broadcaster or television network is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television show, television content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations, pay television providers or ...

owned by

Hubbard Broadcasting Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. is an American television and radio broadcasting corporation based in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was founded by Stanley E. Hubbard. The corporation has broadcast outlets scattered across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri ...

. The network's programming was formerly devoted to entertainment-oriented programming focusing on the Hollywood film and entertainment industry, with programs featuring information on theatrical film releases as well as information on movies released on DVD and airing on cable television. Currently, outside a few entertainment programs, and some reality series and films, the network mainly airs original and acquired films, series, and programming relating to

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

and celebrity scandals. , Reelz is available to approximately 35,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2015 peak of 68,000,000 households.

History

The network launched on September 27, 2006 as ReelzChannel, initially available on satellite providers

DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...

and

Dish Network DISH Network L.L.C., often referred to as DISH, an abbreviation for Digital Sky Highway, is an American provider of satellite television and IPTV services and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The company was originally establ ...

. The network originally maintained a programming focus similar to the original format of E! (and its predecessor MovieTime), focusing on programs about the entertainment industry including movie review and junket interview series. The network eventually signed carriage agreements with various cable providers including

Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC 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, o ...

Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...

Charter Communications Charter Communications, Inc., is an American telecommunications and mass media company with services branded as Spectrum. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. With over 32 million customers in 41 states as of 2022, it is the ...

and Altice. The network's programming then was tailored to allow insertion of order details and channel positions for film titles being offered through each provider's

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

and

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

systems. In early 2009, ReelzChannel moved its operations from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, to

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, where Hubbard owns that city's

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

-affiliated

television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's s ...

KOB. KOB and ReelzChannel, however, maintain separate facilities. At that point, the network shifted its programming focus to incorporate acquired series alongside its entertainment news programs. In August 2011, ReelzChannel debuted its first miniseries, '' The Kennedys''. An unauthorized

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

centering on President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

Jackie Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

and the

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...

empire, ReelzChannel acquired the rights to the film after it was dropped by

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

.ReelzChannel To Air ‘Kennedys' Miniseries
''Multichannel News'' February 1, 2011 In February 2023, Reelz reached an agreement with

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...

-owned streaming service

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

, which would carry a linear feed of Reelz and the network's library of programming for subscribers. '' MLW Underground Wrestling'' from

Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...

is blacked out and replaced with alternate programming on Peacock due to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

's exclusivity agreements with the service.

Programming

Reelz original programming is produced both in the US and internationally. For example, the network premiered a docudrama in 2017, ''Titanic: Sinking The Myths'', starring Ed Asner, examining the circumstances surrounding the ocean liner disaster. In 2020, Reelz ordered ''The Story of the Songs'' from ViacomCBS Networks UK, in association with the British branch of

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are located a ...

. In June 2022, Reelz acquired '' Cops'' and later greenlit '' On Patrol: Live'', a spiritual successor to the former A&E program ''

Live PD ''Live PD'' is an American television program that aired on the A&E Network from 2016 to 2020. It follows police officers in the course of their patrols live, broadcasting interactions with the public. The show was hosted by Dan Abrams with a ...

''. The network's original promotional remit regarding cable and satellite

and

services, which remains in its carriage contracts, is contractually fulfilled by an occasional on-air segment hosted by a '' Celebrity Page'' personality, ''REELZ Recommends'', an email

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of ...

service, which highlights programs available via

streaming video Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting ...

and

Current programming

A list of shows currently airing.

Original programming

*'' Autopsy: The Last Hours of...'' *''Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales'' *''Behind the Screams'' *''Breaking the Band'' *''Celebrity Damage Control'' *''Celebrity Legacies'' *'' Celebrity Page'' (formerly ''OK!TV'') *''Charles Manson's Bloodline'' *'' CopyCat Killers'' *''Demons in the City of Angels'' *''Executed with Deborah Norville'' *''Fortune Fights'' *''Friends Speak'' *''Gangsters: America's Most Evil'' *''Hollywood 911'' *''Hollywood Scandals'' *''How to Survive a Murder'' *''Kicked Out of Hollywood'' *'' MLW Underground Wrestling'' *''Murder in the Family with

Geraldo Rivera Geraldo Rivera (born Gerald Rivera; July 4, 1943) is an American journalist, attorney, author, and political commentator who worked at the Fox News Channel from 2001 to 2023. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Geraldo'' from 1987 to 1998. He g ...

'' *''Murder Made Me Famous'' *'' On Patrol: Live'' *'' On Patrol: First Shift'' *''The Price of Fame'' *''The Real Story of ...'' *''Scandal Made Me Famous'' *''Serial Psyche'' *''The Story of the Songs'' (also known in the United Kingdom under the titles ''Whitney/Madonna/Celine Dion: The Secrets of Her Biggest Hits'' and ''Rod Stewart: The Secrets of His Biggest Hits'')

Acquired programming

*''The Amityville Horror Murders'' *'' Caught Red Handed'' *''Cheating Spouses Caught on Tape'' *'' Cops *'' Cops Reloaded *''Crisis Point'' *''

Jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

'' *'' Magic Secrets Revealed'' *'' Mobsters'' *'' Most Shocking'' *''Sheriffs of El Dorado County'' *'' Steven Seagal: Lawman'' *''

Untold Stories of The E.R. ''Untold Stories of the E.R.'' is an American docudrama television series which airs on TLC and Discovery Life. In this program, real-life emergency department doctors discuss their most bizarre and puzzling cases. Typically these involve medica ...

'' *'' Women Behind Bars'' *''Women on Death Row'' *'' World's Most Amazing Videos'' *''World's Most Evil Killers''

Upcoming programming

Netflix

*'' Unabomber: In His Own Words''

Former programming

*''

3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...

'' *''

Ally McBeal ''Ally McBeal'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series created by David E. Kelley that originally aired on Fox from September 8, 1997, to May 20, 2002. It revolves around Calista Flockhart in the title role as a lawyer working ...

'' *'' Becker'' *'' Bomb Girls'' *''Beverly Hills Pawn'' *''Branson Taxi'' *'' Brothers & Sisters'' *'' Carson's Comedy Classics'' *''The Capones'' *''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...

'' *''Celebrity Close Calls'' *'' Celebrity Ghost Stories'' *'' Coach'' *'' Cold Case Files'' *'' Cracked'' *''Dailies'' *''

EP Daily ''EP Daily'' (formerly ''The Electric Playground'') is a daily news television show that covers video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets. Created and executive produced by host Victor Lucas, and his Vancouver, British ...

'' *''Fan Addicts!'' *'' Final 24'' *''Focus On: Movies'' *'' Full Throttle Saloon'' *''Hollywood Dailies'' *'' Hollywood Hillbillies'' *''Hollywood's Top Ten'' *''

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

'' *''Mark at the Movies'' *'' Maltin on Movies'' *''Movie Mob'' *''Movies & Music'' *''Naked Trailers'' *''

NewsRadio ''NewsRadio'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995, to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Stephen R ...

'' *''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 4, 1984, and ended on May 31, 1992, after nine seasons consisting of List of Night Court episodes, 193 episodes. The show is set in the night shift of a Manhattan ...

'' *'' Pacific Blue'' *'' Polka Kings'' *''Screen Machines'' *''Secret's Out'' *'' Spin City'' *'' Storage Hunters'' *''Treasure King'' *'' True Justice'' *''The Big Tease'' *''The Countdown'' *''

The Critic ''The Critic'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as w ...

'' *''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. Created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein, the show ran for six seasons and List of The Larry Sanders Show episodes, ...

'' *''

TMZ ''TMZ'' is an American entertainment-focused tabloid news organization owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested ...

Hollywood Sports'' (now ''TMZ Sports'' on

Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (branded on-air as FS1) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 airs an array of live sporting events, including Majo ...

) *'' Wings''

Miniseries

*'' JFK: The Smoking Gun'' *'' The Kennedys'' *'' The Kennedys: After Camelot'' *'' The Pillars of the Earth'' *'' World Without End'' *''Aaron Hernandez's Killing Fields'' (2020)

Awards ceremonies

1st Critics' Choice Television Awards The inaugural Critics' Choice Television Awards ceremony, presented by the Broadcast Film Critics Association#Broadcast Television Journalists Association, Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA), honored the best in primetime televisi ...

(on June 22, 2011) * Miss USA 2015Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015
Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel
Wall Street Journal.

Other services

Reelz HD

Reelz HD is a high definition simulcast of Reelz broadcasting in the

720p 720p (720 lines progressive) is a progressive HD signal format with 720 horizontal lines/1280 columns and an aspect ratio (AR) of 16:9, normally known as widescreen HD (1.78:1). All major HD broadcasting standards (such as SMPTE 292M) includ ...

resolution format, which launched on August 1, 2010. The first provider to carry the feed was AT&T U-verse, which began carrying ReelzChannel HD on September 27, 2010; Dish Network carried the HD feed as a free preview from March 30 to May 4, 2011.

began carrying the HD feed on September 26, 2014. DirecTV also carries ReelzChannel's

content in HD. Verizon Fios began carrying the HD feed on March 25, 2017.

ReelzChannel In Your Room

Reelz formerly operated a service for hotels in partnership with LodgeNet, called ''ReelzChannel In Your Room''. This featured a mix of Reelz's original programming with reviews and promotions of films available on a hotel's video on demand service.

References

External links

* {{Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation, state=collapsed English-language television stations in the United States Television channels and stations established in 2006 Television networks in the United States Hubbard Broadcasting 2006 establishments in the United States