This history is about the American cable TV channel, which was created in 1977, and became popular thanks to sports broadcasts and its own original programs. Find out more about the USA Network at manhattan-future.
Foundation of the network
USA Network, or simply USA, is an American cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group company. The headquarters of the network is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan.
The network was founded in 1977, by the cable television provider UA-Columbia Cablevision and the Madison Square Garden Corp. It was then run by the American businesswoman Kay Koplovitz. The network was first launched on September 22, 1977, under the name Madison Square Garden Sports Network.
From the very beginning, the network was mainly focused on the broadcast of sports events.
Then the Madison Square Garden Sports Network broadcast sports programs such as WWF All American Wrestling, WWF Prime Time Wrestling, WWE NXT, WWE SmackDown, USA Tuesday Night Fights, Tennis on USA. In addition, the Madison Square Garden Sports Network broadcast Olympic Games, games of the International Hockey Federation, the Ryder Cup matches, Masters Tournaments, Premier League football matches, NASCAR races and many more.
Further network operation
In 1980, the channel changed its name to the modern one, USA Network. Also in this period, the network added children’s programs to the broadcasting line. One of them was Calliope. In general, USA Network showed cartoons from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Starting from 7 p.m., sports releases began. On weekends, movies, TV series and talk shows were screened in the morning. Sport was broadcast again in the afternoon and in the evening. At night, there were usually low-budget movies, short films, music videos and the like.
In 1981, MCA and Paramount companies became the owners of the channel. From 1984, the network began to slightly reduce the number of sports broadcasts, preferring general entertainment ones, as well as its own original programs. Programs such as the Gong Show, Make Me Laugh, Chain Reaction, the Joker’s Wild, Tic-Tac-Dough, Press Your Luck, High Rollers, the Hollywood Squares, Wipeout, Face the Music, Name That Tune, the Joker’s Wild, the Sale of the Century, Talk About, Caesars Challenge, Free 4 All, Quicksilver, WWF Monday Night Raw, as well as original own shows such as Jackpot; Check It Out!; Love Me, Love Me Not and Bumper Stumpers were broadcast at that time.
From 1989 to 2000, short releases of news went on the air under the name USA Updates, the main host of which was Steve Bell, the former announcer of the Good Morning America program. In addition to that, the program of financial news under the title First Business also went on the air for some time.
Starting as early as the 1990s, USA Network has produced popular television series such as Silk Stalkings, Duckman, La Femme Nikita, Monk, Psych, Shooter, White Collar, Mr. Robot, Suits, Burn Notice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chicago Police, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and the like.
In 2003, NBC Universal became the owner of the network. In 2005, USA Network introduced a new logo and the marketing campaign Characters Welcome related to it. The slogan was invented in order to highlight the wide range of programs that the network offers and to consolidate it as a brand.
As for the modernity, USA Network currently broadcasts programs and films such as Chucky, Race for the Championship, the Big D, Race to Survive: Alaska, Temptation Island, Miz & Mrs, Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane, Barmageddon, Malaysian Cub Prix Championship, USFL, Chicago Fire, 9-1-1 and the like.
