Ovation (American TV channel)

Ovation is an American television network whose stated mission is to connect the world to all forms of art and entertainment.

Not to be confused with Ovation (Australian TV channel).
Ovation
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
SloganThe Power Of Art[1]
Programming
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
(HD feed downgraded to letterboxed 480i for SDTVs)
Ownership
OwnerPrivately held
Investors include:
Hubbard Media Group
Corporate Partners II
Arcadia Investment Partners
Perry Capital
Sister channelsReelz
History
LaunchedApril 21, 1996 (April 21, 1996)
Former namesOvation TV (2007–10)
Links
Websitewww.ovationtv.com
Availability
Cable
Available on some U.S. cable systemsConsult your local cable provider for channel availability
Satellite
DirecTVChannel 274 (HD/SD)
Channel 1274 On Demand
IPTV
AT&T U-verse385 (SD)
1385 (HD)
Verizon FiOS188 (SD)
688 (HD)

Ovation premiered on April 21, 1996 and was re-launched on June 20, 2007 to a national audience with carriage on DirecTV. Since then, the network has added carriage on AT&T U-verse, Frontier FiOS, Comcast/Xfinity, RCN, Charter (selected markets) and other major cable systems across the country (local listings). The channel currently reaches approximately 50 million subscribers. Ovation launched an HD service in 2010 and is also available on VOD (in both standard- and high-definition) and via TV Everywhere (authentication) through selected providers.

Ovation is a privately held, independent cable network. Ovation's investors include Hubbard Media Group, Corporate Partners II, Arcadia Investment Partners, and Perry Capital.

As of February 2015, approximately 54 million households (46.4 percent of those with television) receive Ovation.[2]

History
Ovation TV logo, used from 2007 to 2010.
Ovation logo, used from 2010 to 2013.

The channel was launched in 1996 and relaunched in June 2007,[3] coinciding with its addition by DirecTV, which gave the channel full national coverage. In 2008, Ovation also became available on Dish Network. With the relaunch, Ovation TV claimed an "energetic" new look and a new primetime schedule revolving around "genre nights" dedicated to performance, people, and film.[4] On March 1, 2010, the channel dropped the "TV" from its name in a rebranding effort.[5]

Carriage

On December 18, 2012, Time Warner Cable announced plans to remove Ovation from its own systems as well as those operated by Bright Networks (for which TWC negotiates carriage agreements). Time Warner Cable and Bright dropped Ovation at midnight Eastern Time on December 31, 2012.[6] The two providers later reached an agreement to resume carriage of Ovation on October 16, 2013, reinstating the channel on TWC and Bright systems on January 1, 2014.[7]

On April 6, 2015, Dish Network removed it from the lineup.

Ovation HD

Ovation HD is a high definition simulcast feed of Ovation, which broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format; it was launched in July 2010.[8] Ovation HD is currently available on DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright Networks, Verizon FiOS, and AT&T U-verse.

Programming

Ovation programming is a mix of original and old television series, films, documentaries and specials, targeting a multi-generational audience of women (or females), 40 and older.

In 2013, Ovation announced the exclusive US premiere of A Young Doctor's Notebook, a four-part scripted series starring Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe, and launched the exclusive US premiere of The Artful Detective, (known in Canada and elsewhere as Murdoch Mysteries), now in its twelfth season, with season 13 premiering in 2019. In 2013, the network also premiered The Art Of, which returned with season 4 in 2015.

Ovation expanded its line-up with the docu-series, Big Ballet, featuring former Royal Ballet dancer Wayne Sleep as he assembles a troupe of plus-size dancers to perform.

Original series premiering in 2014 included The Fashion Fund, starring Anna Wintour and Diane von Fürstenberg, Capture, Young Marvels, highlighting the artistic achievements made by young people in dance,Trending Trailers, with celebrity interviews and previews of upcoming films and "Touching the Arts," a comedic web series panel show focused on contemporary hosted by Casey Jane Ellison.

Ovation logo 2013-2018

Returning series in 2014 included The Fashion Fund (season 2), A Young Doctor's Notebook (season 2) and the Song by Song franchise, highlighting the stories behind the most popular hits by Sheryl, Blondie, and Lindsey Stirling. Ovation (American TV channel) also acquired and co-produced the Sky One series The Art Show, which premiered in 2018. Another original series that premiered on and is co-produced by the network is The Wine Show, which premiered in the same year. The first show is all about the art industry similar to another show on the network, The Art Of and showcases talented artists and their paintings and also explores the paintings of ancient historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci or Leonardo DiCaprio or Michelangelo Simoni. The other show features a team of wine enthusiasts talking to wine experts about famous wine from different wineries. The international distribution is done by the production company of the show, BBC Studios in the UK. The show airs on the BBC in the UK, while Ovation premieres the show in the US.

Ovation debuted the U.S. premiere of international series Versailles on October 1, 2016. The series lasted three seasons and starred George Blagden, Alexander Vlahos, Evan Williams, Tygh Runyan, Anna Brewster, Lizzie Brochere, Maddison Jaizani and Stuart Bowman. The series finale aired on December 8, 2018.

Ovation debuted the U.S. cable television premiere of international series Riviera on February 9, 2019. The series stars Julia Stiles, Lena Olin, Adrian Lester, Iwan Rheon, Dimitri Leonidas, Anthony LaPaglia and Roxane Duran. In August 2019, Ovation aired the U.S. premiere of Maigret, a six part series starring Rowan Atkinson as the main title character Jules Maigret. It ran for four episodes across two seasons. In 2020, Ovation began airing a new mystery block called "Mystery Alley", airing from 7-8PM (8:30 max depending on how long a program runs for on Saturdays amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring acquired crime drama mystery programming. Some of the channel's original network programming has aired on the block. Starting August 8th, Ovation began briefly airing the first season of The Code (Australian TV series), an Australian series starring Dan Speilman and Ashley Zuckerman. In September, Ovation aired the four-part British miniseries Secret State (miniseries). Currently as of October, The Fall (TV series), an Irish-British series airing that premiered on the 10th at 7PM ET. There was also a new channel section of the same name launched on the Ovation NOW streaming service app and the OvationTV.com website prior to the block's premiere. In November 2020, Ovation acquired the U.S. rights to Crossing Lines, starring William Fichtner and Marc Lavoine. It premiered on December 7, 2020, and airing Monday nights at 7PM ET, with three episodes back to back and episodes rebroadcasting on Tuesdays at 5pm ET in the first season. The Fall (TV series) will return to the block with its third and final season on January 2, 2021. New programming for the block in 2021 has been announced: the fourth and fourteenth season of Frankie Drake Mysteries and Murdoch Mysteries, respectively, have premiere dates that are currently being arranged have to be announced by Ovation (American TV channel). They will probably premiere sometime in January or February 2021 on the network's Saturday night schedule. The third and final season of The Fall (TV series) premiered on January 2, 2021. Season 14 of Murdoch Mysteries will have its US premiere on February 20, 2021. Riviera (TV series) Season 2 will also air on the "Mystery Alley" block in May 2021.


Current programming:

Mystery Alley programming:

Future programming:

Former programming:

Executive team
  • Chairman: Ken Solomon
  • CEO: Charles Segars
  • CFO: Phil Gilligan
  • General Counsel: Robert Rader
  • EVP, Network Strategy: Liz Janneman
  • EVP, Programming & Production: Scott Woodward
  • SVP, Business Development and Digital: William Marks

References
  1. "Ovation launches new "The Power of Art '" Tagline and Brand Strategy". Ovation. May 9, 2013.
  2. Seidman, Robert (February 22, 2015). "List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  3. Family, Weinstein Buy Arts Channel" (Los Angeles Times, August 30, 2006)
  4. https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070605/tv_nm/ovation_dc. Retrieved June 10, 2007. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. Ovation Gets Artsy Makeover Multichannel News February 26, 2010
  6. Time Warner Cable decides to bow out of Ovation Reuters, December 18, 2012
  7. "Ovation Network Returning To Time Warner Cable". Deadline. October 16, 2013.
  8. Ovation Launching HD Channel in 2010 - Arts-Focused Network Has Added Subs This Year in Standard Def Multichannel News October 6, 2009
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