American pay television channel
Television channel
Bravo
is an American
basic cable
television network
, launched on December 8, 1980. It is owned by the
NBCUniversal Media Group
division of
Comcast
's
NBCUniversal
. The channel originally focused on programming related to
fine arts
and
film
. Since the 2000s, its brand has focused heavily on
reality
series targeted at 25-to-54-year-old women and the
LGBTQIA+ community
at large.
As of November 2023
[update]
, Bravo is available to approximately 70,000,000 pay television households in the United States, down from its 2013 peak of 95,000,000 households.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
Bravo originally launched as a commercial-free
premium channel
on December 8, 1980.
[2]
[3]
It was originally co-owned by
Cablevision
's
Rainbow Media
division and
Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment
; the channel claimed to be "the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts".
[4]
[5]
[6]
The channel originally broadcast its programming two days a week and?like Bravo's former sister network
Nickelodeon
, which shared its channel space with
Alpha Repertory Television Service
?shared its channel space with the adult-oriented pay channel Escapade (now
Playboy TV
), which featured R-rated
B movies
(of the
action
,
grindhouse
and
horror
genres) and
softcore pornographic
films.
[7]
In 1981, Bravo was available to 48,000 subscribers throughout the United States; this total increased four years later to around 350,000 subscribers.
[8]
A 1985 profile of Bravo in
The New York Times
observed that most of its programming consisted of international, classic, and
independent film
. Celebrities such as
E. G. Marshall
and
Roberta Peters
provided opening and closing commentary to the films broadcast on the channel.
[8]
Performing arts programs seen on Bravo included the show
Jazz Counterpoint
.
[8]
During the mid-1980s, Bravo converted from a premium service into a basic cable channel, although it remained a commercial-free service.
[9]
Bravo signed an
underwriting
deal with
Texaco
in 1992 and within a month broadcast the first Texaco Showcase production, a stage adaptation of
Romeo and Juliet
.
[10]
By the mid-1990s, Bravo began to incorporate more
PBS
-style underwriting sponsorships, and then began accepting traditional commercial advertising by 1998.
[7]
In the
Encyclopedia of Television
, Megan Mullen perceived certain Bravo programs as "considered too risky or eclectic for mainstream channels". Those programs were
Karaoke
and
Cold Lazarus
, the final serials by British playwright
Dennis Potter
shown by Bravo in June 1997, and
Michael Moore
's documentary series
The Awful Truth
from 1999.
[10]
In 1999,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
acquired a 20% stake in the channel, which it subsequently sold back to Rainbow Media in 2001. NBC bought the network in 2002 for $1.25 billion; it had owned a stake in the channel and its sister networks for several years up to that point.
[11]
NBC's then-parent company,
General Electric
, merged the network and its other broadcast and cable properties with
Vivendi Universal Entertainment
in May 2004 to form
NBC Universal
.
Bravo saw a massive success in 2003 with the
reality
series
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
, which garnered 3.5 million viewers.
[5]
The network began to add more reality shows to its lineup, some of them also very successful, including
Project Runway
in 2004, and
Million Dollar Listing
,
The Real Housewives of Orange County
and
Top Chef
, all in 2006. All spawned numerous spin-off shows, and some even turned into international franchises. The success of all these shows led Bravo to change its format from focusing on performing arts, drama, and independent film to being focused on reality series, pop culture, fashion and celebrities. In 2009,
Entertainment Weekly
put "Bravo reality shows" on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying, "From Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Fab Five to Project Runway's fierce fashionistas to the kvetching, perma-tanned Real Housewives franchise, Bravo's quirky reality programming mixes high culture and low scruples to create deliciously addictive television."
[12]
A study released in May 2008 ranked Bravo as the brand most identified as gay-friendly among gay consumers.
[13]
Bravo's age
demographic
is people 18?54, according to the Cable Television Advertising Bureau's cable television profiles.
[4]
Other successful reality series followed, including
Shahs of Sunset
(2012),
Vanderpump Rules
(2013),
Married to Medicine
(2013),
Below Deck
(2013),
Southern Charm
(2014), and
Summer House
(2017). Bravo's first ever scripted series,
Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce
, premiered in 2014 and ran until 2018.
[
citation needed
]
On February 7, 2017, coinciding with the premiere of another scripted series,
Imposters
, Bravo updated its imaging with a refresh to its
speech bubble
-inspired logo, with the letters now all rendered in lowercase (replacing the wordmark text based on the logos used by the channel between 1994 and 2005), and a neutralized imaging to attract more male viewers. The "...by Bravo" marketing tag was also phased out from general use.
[14]
Controversies
[
edit
]
In August 2023, several of the network's reality stars, including
Bethenny Frankel
, Raquel Leviss,
Lisa Rinna
, and many others, accused Bravo and its parent company,
NBCUniversal
, for mistreating and causing a hostile working environment against them. Frankel has also filed a lawsuit against the network and NBC as a result of the allegations.
[15]
In January 2024,
Caroline Manzo
filed a lawsuit against Bravo which alleged that the network and its affiliated companies?Forest Productions, Warner Bros. Entertainment, NBCUniversal Media, Shed Media and Peacock TV? would "regularly ply the
Real Housewives
cast with alcohol, cause them to become severely intoxicated, and then direct, encourage and/or allow them to sexually harass other cast members because that is good for ratings."
[16]
[17]
[18]
The lawsuit was filed a year after it was reported
Brandi Glanville
gave Manzo "unwanted kisses" while they participated in season 5 of
The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip
.
[19]
[17]
The lawsuit also accused Bravo of knowing that Glanville had a history of sexual misconduct, but hired her anyway for good ratings.
[17]
[18]
Programming
[
edit
]
Bravo's programming schedule primarily includes originally produced programming, particularly
reality
content. Most popularly, the channel is known for its TV franchises
The Real Housewives
and
Inside the Actors Studio
, as well as
Top Chef
,
Project Runway
,
Flipping Out
,
Below Deck
, and
Married to Medicine
. The channel also airs reruns of series from parent network
NBC
and occasionally other NBCUniversal-owned networks, off-network series, including those from
NBCUniversal Television Distribution
, and feature films, primarily from the
Universal Pictures
catalog. Bravo utilizes
block programming
for both new shows and existing ones such as its "Fashion By Bravo" block.
[20]
Following its acquisition by NBC, Bravo began to supplement
NBC Sports
coverage of the
Olympic Games
, airing live events during the overnight and morning hours during the
2004 Summer Olympics
; this coverage continued with the
2006 Winter Olympics
. The channel carried no coverage during the
2008 games
, as NBC Universal had acquired
Oxygen
, allowing Bravo to continue to carry its regular programming schedule during NBC coverage of the Games. In
2012
, the network served as the near-exclusive home for the Games'
tennis tournament
at
Wimbledon
, with up to 56 hours of coverage except for the men's and women's singles finals, which aired on NBC.
[21]
During the
2016 Rio Olympics
, Bravo served as the exclusive home of the entire
tennis tournament
.
[
citation needed
]
Streaming
[
edit
]
Bravo is associated with NBC's streaming service
Peacock
, where much of its original content can be found.
[22]
International versions
[
edit
]
An Australian channel called
Arena
rebranded its on-air presentation in 2008 to align with Bravo as a result of an agreement with Bravo Media.
[23]
Arena uses the now-former Bravo slogan "Watch What Happens" and has access to Bravo-produced programming.
[24]
As of July 2020, the channel had dropped the Bravo-inspired branding, and added content from other providers such as
WarnerMedia
. In October 2022, it was announced that Australia's
Seven Network
would launch a local version of the network, titled
7Bravo
on 15 January 2023, as part of a joint venture with NBCU.
[25]
A
Canadian version
of Bravo was launched in 1995 by
CHUM Limited
. The channel originally aired much of the same genres of programming aired by its American counterpart, but by the 2010s it had pivoted to primarily focusing on
dramas
and rebranded in 2012 to separate itself from the U.S. network entirely. It was then rebranded to CTV Drama Channel in 2019 as part of a realignment of Bell's specialty channels.
[26]
Most of Bravo's current original programming has been acquired by other Canadian specialty channels, particularly
Corus Entertainment
's
Slice
, and sister channel
Food Network
for
Top Chef
. On June 10, 2024,
Rogers Sports & Media
announced that it had acquired Canadian rights to the Bravo brand and original programming, and that it planned to relaunch the network in September 2024.
[27]
MediaWorks New Zealand
announced that it would close the youth-oriented free to air channel
Four
in July 2016 and replace it with
Bravo
as part of a deal with NBCUniversal.
[28]
The New Zealand channel is currently co-owned by
Warner Bros. Discovery
.
A Brazilian version of Bravo was launched in 1996 by a partnership between
TVA
- then
Grupo Abril
's television arm -,
TV Cultura
and the original American network.
[29]
The channel produced original programming like the Brazilian version of Inside Actors Studio called Studio Brasil. In August 1999, Bravo was rebranded as
Film&Arts
after Bravo Networks took the fully control of channel's administration.
[30]
In 2000, Bravo Networks sold Film&Arts to
Chellomedia
's Pramer.
AMC Networks
acquired Chellomedia in 2014 putting Film&Arts in AMC International Networks' portfolio. As of 2016 the channel was no longer available in Brazil after being dropped out by several cable and satellite providers.
Bravo's A-List Awards
[
edit
]
In 2008, Bravo's A-List Awards were created to honor celebrities "who have made an unforgettable mark" in various fields of pop culture such as beauty, design, fashion, and cooking.
[31]
[32]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 ? 2023"
.
wrestlenomics.com
. May 14, 2024
. Retrieved
July 28,
2019
.
- ^
"ABC joins cable market with new art programs", by Kay Gardella, in
Daily News
(New York), December 3, 1980, p37
- ^
"Cable Industry Plans Performing Arts Show", by Dan Lewis,
Albuquerque (NM) Journal
, November 28, 1980, pH-22
- ^
a
b
TimeWarner Media Sales: Bravo - CableMediaSales.com
Archived
May 2, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine
Retrieved September 1, 2008.
- ^
a
b
"A Tale of Two Networks."
Entertainment Weekly
#1001, July 11, 2008, pg. 42.
- ^
"About Bravo"
. Bravo (U.S. TV channel). Archived from
the original
on January 4, 2010
. Retrieved
July 14,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
Becker, Anne (October 1, 2006).
"Tracking Bravo's Rise"
.
Broadcasting & Cable
. Retrieved
July 14,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
c
Schneider, Steve (December 15, 1985).
"Cable TV Notes; Bravo Thrives on Culture"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
July 14,
2010
.
- ^
"Cable Networks"
. Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from
the original
on April 6, 2023
. Retrieved
July 14,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
Mullen, Megan (2004) [1997]. "Bravo (U.S. cable network)". In Newcomb, Horace (ed.).
Encyclopedia of Television
. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Chicago,
Illinois
, United States: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. pp. 308?310.
ISBN
1-57958-411-X
.
- ^
Romano, Allison.
"NBC Puts Its Stamp on Bravo."
Broadcasting and Cable
. February 17, 2003.
- ^
Geier, Thom; et al.
"The 100 Greatest Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books, Characters, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, And Trends That Entertained Us Over The Past 10 Years"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. No. 1079/1080. pp. 74?84. Archived from
the original
on 2023-04-05
. Retrieved
2010-07-15
.
- ^
"Bravo tops survey of gay-friendly companies."
Archived
2015-09-24 at the
Wayback Machine
Reuters
May 13, 2008.
- ^
Wagmeister, Elizabeth (6 February 2017).
"Bravo Unveils New On-Air Look, Logo in Brand Refresh (EXCLUSIVE)"
.
- ^
Bharti, Anamika (August 22, 2023).
"Is this the end of Bravo? Staggering allegations made by reality stars may well spell the end of popular network as we know it"
.
Meaww
. Retrieved
August 23,
2023
.
- ^
Quinn, Dave; Kang, Esther (January 26, 2024).
"Caroline Manzo Files Lawsuit Against Bravo 1 Year After Claims of Sexual Harassment on Ultimate Girls Trip"
. People
. Retrieved
January 27,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
Maddus, Gene; Aurthur, Kate (January 26, 2024).
"Caroline Manzo Sues Bravo, Accuses 'Housewives' Castmate Brandi Glanville of Sexual Assault on 'Ultimate Girls Trip'
"
. Variety
. Retrieved
January 27,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
Court document
documentcloud.org
- ^
Quinn, Dave (January 30, 2023).
"Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo Exited 'Ultimate Girls Trip' Early After 'Unwanted' Kisses"
. People
. Retrieved
January 27,
2024
.
- ^
Ritchie, Kevin (January 11, 2012).
"Bravo names Bianchi VP, program planning and acquisitions"
.
Brunico Communications
. Retrieved
June 22,
2013
.
- ^
"NBC Lays Out Olympic Schedule"
. Broadcasting Cable
. Retrieved
May 20,
2012
.
- ^
"NBCUniversal Announces Streaming Service Peacock, Including Special Treats for Bravo Fans"
. 17 September 2019.
- ^
"Australia's Foxtel has license to deal"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
2017-08-11
.
- ^
"A New Arena"
. Archived from
the original
on 2008-06-25.
- ^
"Seven Upfront 2023: NBCU brings 7Bravo to Aus"
.
Mediaweek
. 25 October 2022
. Retrieved
28 October
2022
.
- ^
"
Magnum P.I.
reboot, new Jann Arden comedy on CTV's fall lineup"
.
Toronto Star
. Retrieved
2018-06-07
.
- ^
Thiessen, Connie (2024-06-10).
"Rogers scoops Warner Bros. Discovery rights from Corus and Bell"
.
Broadcast Dialogue
. Retrieved
2024-06-10
.
- ^
"Mediaworks dumps FOUR for new reality channel Bravo"
.
Stuff
. 2 May 2016
. Retrieved
21 February
2019
.
- ^
"Folha de S.Paulo - TVA estreia canal especializado em artes - 1/6/1996"
.
www1.folha.uol.com.br
. Retrieved
21 February
2019
.
- ^
"TV-Pesquisa: Mudancas No Canal Bravo Brasil"
.
Meio & Mensagem
.
PUC-Rio
. July 19, 1999
. Retrieved
February 22,
2019
.
- ^
"Bravo's A-List Awards"
.
TV Guide
. 2008
. Retrieved
March 10,
2023
.
- ^
"Bravo A List Awards"
. Bravo TV. Archived from
the original
on June 21, 2009
. Retrieved
March 10,
2023
.
External links
[
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]
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1
Indicates the channel is still in existence, but currently operates as a basic cable channel.
2
Star Channel was part of
Warner Communications
'
QUBE
interactive cable service, and was the precursor to present-day
The Movie Channel
.
|