Oxygen (TV channel)

Oxygen
Launched February 2, 2000 (February 2, 2000)
Owned by Oxygen Media
NBCUniversal
(Comcast)
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Slogan Very Real
Country United States
Language English
Headquarters New York City, New York, United States
Formerly called WomenTV
Sister channel(s) E!
Bravo
Esquire Network
Website www.oxygen.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV 251 (SD only)
Dish Network 127 (SD only)
Cable
Cox 165 (SD only)
Available in most service providers Check local listings for channels
IPTV
AT&T U-verse 1368 (HD)
368 (SD)
Verizon FiOS 644 (HD)
144 (SD)

Oxygen, is an American digital cable and satellite television channel that is owned by Oxygen Media, LLC, a subsidiary of the NBCUniversal Cable division of NBCUniversal. Similar to Lifetime and WE tv, the channel features programming targeted at women, including original reality television series, acquired scripted series and feature films.

As of February 2015, approximately 77.5 million American households (66.5% of households with television) receive Oxygen.[1]

In early 2014, it was announced that Oxygen would rebrand on October 7, 2014 alongside a new logo in an effort to target young female viewers.[2]

History

Oxygen's former logo. The Oh! element was used from 2002 to June 8, 2008, with the word Oxygen displayed in Times New Roman type since the channel's launch; until 2004, the entire word was in smaller case letters.

The privately held company Oxygen Media was founded in 1998 by former Nickelodeon executive Geraldine Laybourne, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and producers Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner and Caryn Mandabach (of Carsey-Werner fame). Geraldine Laybourne was the service's founder, chairwoman, and CEO, staying with the channel until the NBCUniversal sale. The company's cable network Oxygen launched on February 2, 2000.

The channel was initially headquartered at Battery Park City in New York City, near the World Trade Center. It was knocked off the air on September 11, 2001; the Time Warner Cable-owned regional news channel NY1 was broadcast to all Oxygen subscribers across the country until the studio reopened within a week after the attack.[3]

The network's operations were subsequently consolidated in the Chelsea Market, a former Nabisco factory at 15th Street and Ninth Avenue in New York City. Oxygen's operations are now based at 30 Rockefeller Plaza as part of Comcast's consolidation of its newly owned NBCUniversal properties.

The channel originally began as an interactive service focusing on original programming with some reruns (such as Kate & Allie), and featured a black bar at the bottom of the screen (referred to as "the stripe", it occupied the bottom 12% of the screen) which would show various information (the interactive part involved the channel's website); the technique was cloned by Spike's precursor The New TNN; the stripe was eventually dropped. Prior to 2005, the channel carried a limited schedule of regular season WNBA games produced by NBA TV. The channel later began to focus chiefly on reality shows, reruns, and movies. For a time during the talk show's syndication run, Oxygen aired week-delayed repeats of The Tyra Banks Show. The yoga/meditation/exercise program Inhale was the last inaugural Oxygen program on air into the channel's NBC Universal era, albeit in repeats; it was canceled in 2010.

Campus Ladies, Bliss, Oprah After the Show, Talk Sex with Sue Johanson, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, Snapped, Girls Behaving Badly and The Bad Girls Club, a reality series, are some of the signature shows on the channel. Oxygen has been available on DirecTV for many years, and arrived on Dish Network in early 2006 during that provider's carriage conflict with Lifetime.

Previous logo, used from 2008 to 2014

On October 9, 2007, NBC Universal announced it would be purchasing Oxygen for $925 million.[4] The sale was completed on November 20, 2007. NBC Universal's cable division announced at an industry upfront presentation on April 23, 2008, that the channel would rebrand and unveil a new logo on June 17, 2008;[5][6] in the months since the sale the Oh! heading was dropped from the channel's visual branding. The logo premiered one week early on June 8, 2008.

For the 2008 Summer Olympics, Oxygen aired events and programming weeknights relating to gymnastics, equestrian, and synchronized swimming through NBC Sports's broadcast agreement for the Olympics. On June 29, 2009, Oxygen premiered Dance Your Ass Off, a reality dance competition program in which overweight people dance while they lose weight; the program was cancelled after its second season due to low ratings. On April 5, 2010, Oxygen launched its second night of original programming with the fifth season premiere of Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.

On January 28, 2011, Oxygen became part of Comcast as part of the company's buyout agreement of NBC Universal from GE.[7]

In the latter part of 2013 and into 2014, some programming and syndication rights which were a part of the defunct Style Network moved to Oxygen due to Style's last-minute rebranding as the male-focused Esquire Network on September 23, 2013, to allow a better focus for Comcast/NBC's female networks.[8]

On April 8, 2014, it was announced that Oxygen would drop its "Live Out Loud" slogan and shift the networks target audience.[2]

Programming

Current

Recent

Upcoming

  • Comedians of L.A. - premieres 2016
  • Douglas Family Gold - premieres 2016
  • The Hustle - premieres 2016
  • Living With Funny - premieres 2016
  • Preachers Of Atlanta - premieres 2016
  • Like A Boss - premieres 2016
  • Quit Your Day Job - premieres 2016
  • Virtually in Love - premieres 2016
  • The Wilkersons - premieres 2016
  • Bad Girls Rival Challenge - premieres late 2016

Past

Syndicated

Oxygen HD

Oxygen HD is a high definition simulcast feed of Oxygen that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format; it launched in March 2011. It is available on television providers such as Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, and Time Warner Cable.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Seidman, Robert (February 22, 2015). "List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Goldberg, Lesley (April 8, 2014). "Oxygen Orders Seven New Series, Sets Network Rebranding". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 8, 201. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  3. ↑ Oxygen Media Transmits New York One Signal to Its National Subscribers - New York Business Wire - September 13, 2001
  4. ↑ Michael Learmonth (October 10, 2007). "NBC U Sucks in Oxygen". Daily Variety. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Show Tracker". The Los Angeles Times. April 23, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Oxygen rebrand caters to 'Generation O'". Archived from the original on April 24, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Comcast Eats GE, NBC Owned By Cable Provider". Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  8. ↑ Rose, Lacey (September 9, 2013). "NBCU Switch-Up: Esquire Network to Take Over Style, Not G4 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. ↑ Bibel, Sara (February 20, 2013). "New True Crime Series 'Snapped: Killer Couples' to Premiere Sunday, March 10 on Oxygen". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  10. ↑ Kondology, Amanda (February 28, 2013). "Oxygen Premieres 'Find Me My Man' April 2 at 9PM". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  11. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (January 7, 2013). "Oxygen Picks Up 'Fat Girl Revenge,' 'Find Me My Man,' & 'Too Young To Marry?'". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  12. ↑ http://www.timewarnercable.com/nynj/about/inthenewsdetails.ashx?PRID=3166&MarketID=50

External links

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