Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American

basic cable Cable television first became available in the United States in 1948. By 1989, 53 million U.S. households received cable television subscriptions, with 60 percent of all U.S. households doing so in 1992. with Data by SNL Kagan shows that about 58 ...

channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of

Paramount Global Paramount Global ( doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. ...

. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment programming targeting

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

audiences. As of January 2016, approximately 50 million households receive Logo.

History

The channel launched June 30, 2005 as the first advertiser-supported commercial television channel in the United States geared towards the gay community. It was founded by former

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

executive Matt Farber. Its first president,

Brian Graden Brian Graden (born March 23, 1963) is an American television executive and founder and CEO of Emmy-winning Brian Graden Media, founded in 2013. Its series include ''Create Together'' (Emmy winner), ''Escape the Night, HitRECord on TV'' (Emmy winne ...

, was named by ''

Out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

'' as the 15th most powerful gay person in America in 2007. Logo replaced

VH1 MegaHits VH1 MegaHits was a Latin American pay television music channel. It was owned by ViacomCBS Networks Brazil, subsidiary of ViacomCBS Networks Americas and aired music videos throughout its entire day. VH1 MegaHits featured four different blocks ...

when it was launched. LOGO OF LOGO

The fact that the LGBT-themed channel was named "Logo" led some viewers to think the "l" and the "g" referenced "lesbian" and "gay", but according to company executives, the name does not represent anything, nor is it an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

. The channel's website says: Logo struck carriage deals prior to its launch date with

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 ...

, Charter Communications,

Adelphia Communications Corporation Adelphia Communications Corporation was an American cable television company with headquarters in Coudersport, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1952 by brothers Gus and John Rigas after the pair purchased a cable television franchise for US$300. C ...

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 e ...

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, opera ...

, and RCN Corporation. The broadcaster reached a deal with

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

after the launch date. Logo has partnered with

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...

to provide news briefs and has developed a relationship with

LPI Media LPI Media (formerly Liberation Publications Inc.)

, publisher of '' The Advocate'', ''Out'', and ''

Out Traveler ''Out Traveler'' is a gay and lesbian travel magazine from the publishers of ''Out'' and '' The Advocate'', combining photography with coverage of LGBT travel topics. Published as a stand-alone title from 2003 to 2008, it was subsequently incorpor ...

'' magazines. MTV Networks and Time Warner Cable announced an agreement December 11, 2006, to expand its distribution of Logo to additional markets. Logo became available on

Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling ...

in May 2009 (in HD only) as part of an add-on package. In April 2011, Logo acquired the rights to air the British comedy series '' Absolutely Fabulous'' and co-produced the show's three revival specials during 2011 and 2012 with the BBC and BBC America. Logo aired the episodes in a heavily edited format, while BBC America aired the episodes in its entirety. The network announced on February 21, 2012, that it would change its programming strategy. Citing research that indicated that LGBT people were becoming increasingly less likely to prioritize highlighting their sexual orientation or identity, the channel entered into partnerships to produce programs that focused less on LGBT-specific interests and more on general cultural and lifestyle subjects. Day-to-day operations were handled by Lisa Sherman, who was executive vice president and general manager until her resignation in October 2013.

Programming

Logo's programming was initially a blend of movies,

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

, travel programming, dating & romance shows,

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

, music videos,

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

, news, and syndicated programs that either had queer characters or were popular among queer viewers. Since 2017, the network's main programming serves as a complementary flank to

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...

, airing older sitcoms from the 1970s to 1990s. In line with Viacom's 2017 restructuring plan, the network no longer produces any new programming outside of content for its social media pages. '' RuPaul's Drag Race'' moved to sister network VH1 that year, with Logo now only airing reruns and simulcasts of the show and its spinoffs. Logo also previously operated a collection of websites under the LOGOonline umbrella name. NewNowNext, a pop culture news and trends blog, remains the only active website owned by the network.

References

External links

* {{Logo TV 2005 establishments in New York City English-language television stations in the United States Television channels and stations established in 2005 Cable television in the United States Television networks in the United States Paramount Media Networks LGBT-related television channels

History

Programming

See also

References

External links