American digital multicast network
Television channel
The Country Network
is an American cable, streaming and
broadcast
television network
that specializes in broadcasting
country music
videos
and exclusive original music-based content; its
playlist
of videos extends from the 1990s through the present day. The network also airs occasional
infomercials
and traditional advertising.
The network is headquartered in
Haltom City, Texas
, with offices in
Nashville, Tennessee
, and New York.
History
[
edit
]
The network first launched on January 7, 2009, as the
Artists & Fans Network
; the music video that inaugurated the network was the
Kid Rock
video "
All Summer Long
". AFN was first carried on
satellite
through
DirecTV
on channel 236.
In August 2009, after suffering from financial problems, Southern Venture Capital Group sold all the assets of the company to one of the founders, Warren Hansen, who then changed its name to the
American Music Video Network
, and rolled out the programming with a new look and feel. On February 15, 2010, the company was renamed
The Country Network
to represent its focus on country music. Around this time, The Country Network began to transition into a digital multicast network, carried
over-the-air
on broadcast television stations across the United States as well as the first broadcast network to simulcast to Roku, iPhone, iPad, web, and other OTT outlets.
On May 20, 2013, Zuus Media announced its acquisition of The Country Network. On June 1, 2013, Zuus Media announced the rebranding as
Zuus Country
. Zuus Country was to be the first of several music video networks of various
formats
. Only one of these other formats,
Zuus Latino
, ever made it to air.
[1]
In January 2016, the network was purchased by a Texas-based company, TCN Country LLC, with a 43,000-square-foot studio, production and broadcast facility. TCN Country changed the brand back to The Country Network, reviving its original name and logo for the revival of the network.
[2]
[3]
In 2021, The Country Network, after having previously placed its online Web stream behind a
paywall
, launched TCN FAST (Free Advertising Supported Television), a free online feed of the channel that is distributed through advertiser-supported over-the-top streaming services.
Affiliates
[
edit
]
As of 2013, Zuus Country has
television stations
in over 41
television markets
in 26 states, covering approximately 34 million over the air households an 18 million cable subscribers. ZUUS Country (at the time, still named The Country Network) signed a deal with
Sinclair Broadcast Group
in August 2010 to be carried on
digital subchannels
of Sinclair stations in most of its
media markets
;
[4]
the network began airing on Sinclair owned and/or operated stations on October 10, 2010. After Sinclair's original drop of several affiliates in late 2015, the network was down to 24 markets (The contract with Sinclair was expired in June 2017). When TCN Country LLC purchased the network, they immediately started growing the distribution and as of January 30, 2017 the network was up to 54 markets along with the launch of a
Roku
channel and a slot on
smart TVs
manufactured by Hitachi and Panasonic.
As of 2019, most of The Country Network's affiliates are low-powered stations controlled by
HC2 Holdings
or its subsidiary
DTV America
.
Current affiliates
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
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]
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