.2 Network
TypePlanned but unlaunched broadcast television network
CountryUnited States
Programming
Picture format480i (SDTV)
720p (HDTV)
Ownership
OwnerGuardian Enterprise Group
Key peopleRichard Schilg, President and Founder
History
Former namesGTN[1]

.2 Network (pronounced Dot-Two Network) was the name of a planned television network designed for digital television subchannels (hence the ".2") owned by Guardian Enterprise Group.[1] Announced in 2008, the network never ended up going to air due to financial and technical difficulties.

History

The channel was originally scheduled for launch on December 8, 2008.[2] However, citing the planned 2009 conclusion of US digital TV transition, the launch of .2 Network was delayed until sometime in Spring 2009.[3] Network executives had announced an intention to delay the launch until the channel could reach at least 30% of US households, a milestone which at that time was predicted not to be reached until October 2009, almost a full year behind the original schedule.[4] Ultimately, this milestone was never reached. The network's website, which from 2008 to 2010 had previews and info of the network, was reduced to a logo and telephone number as of mid-2010.[5] As of 2011, plans for the network were "on hold."[6]

As of April 2013, the .2 website went offline, and with Sony announcing the fall 2013 launch of the GetTV network featuring the Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures film library through digital subchannels on Univision and UniMás stations, all of the network's announced film and television rights (detailed below) are now with other digital subchannel networks.

Programming

.2 Network had licensing agreements with Sony Pictures Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Disney, Hallmark Channel and Screen Media.[1] 2 Network's proposed programming included Gidget, The Flying Nun, and hundreds of blockbuster movies. The .2 network was also to be a source for multiple broadcast premieres, with the prime-time line-up following a movie channel like format.[7] Other programs were to include lifestyle-related, special-interest, and E/I programming, including Animal Rescue and Missing for its affiliated stations.[8]

After the announcement of .2 Network's plans, similar subchannel networks launched and usurped .2 Network's original programming rights. Antenna TV launched on January 1, 2011, utilizing the Sony Pictures Television library (itself later also used for Sony's own getTV).[9] NBC Universal would also later sell rights of its programming to another similar network, Retro Television Network (RTV), but under their new Comcast ownership, removed their programming from RTV in June 2011, then signed a new agreement with MeTV after that to provide them most of the same programming, and launched their own network with library content, Cozi TV, in January 2013.

Affiliates

.2 Network had confirmed carriage in the following markets:[10][11]

Market Station Primary Affiliation Current Ownership
New York City TBD 2 TBD TBD
Los Angeles TBD 2 TBD TBD
Chicago TBD 2 TBD TBD
Philadelphia TBD 2 TBD TBD
San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose TBD 2 TBD TBD
Houston KHOU6 CBS Tegna, Inc.
(Was owned at the time by Belo Corporation)
Detroit WDIV-TV 6 NBC Graham Media Group
(formerly Post-Newsweek Stations)
Tampa WTVT6 Fox Fox Television Stations
Miami - Fort Lauderdale TBD 2 TBD TBD
Orlando - Daytona Beach WKMG-TV CBS Graham Media Group
(formerly Post-Newsweek Stations)
Portland, Oregon KPTV or KPDX1 Fox or MyNetworkTV Gray Television
(Was owned at the time by Meredith Corporation)
Kansas City, Missouri KCTV 4 CBS Gray Television
(Was owned at the time by Meredith Corporation)
Columbus, Ohio W23BZ-D (flagship)[1]5,6 Independent/Bounce TV Urban One
(Was owned at the time by Guardian Enterprise Group)
San Antonio KSAT-TV ABC Graham Media Group
(formerly Post-Newsweek Stations)
Roanoke - Lynchburg, VA WDRL-TV
(now WZBJ)		 Independent
(now MyNetworkTV)		 Gray Television
(Was owned at the time by MNE Broadcasting) [12]
Lafayette, Louisiana TBD 2 TBD TBD
Marquette, Michigan TBD 2 TBD TBD
Alexandria, Louisiana TBD 2 TBD TBD
Alpena, Michigan WBKB-TV 3,6 CBS The Marks Group
Glendive, Montana KXGN-TV 3,6 CBS The Marks Group

Notes

  • 1The licensee held a duopoly in the market, never confirming which station would have the subchannel
  • 2According to the .2 "first affiliates" press release, these markets were confirmed, but the identity of the affiliate station was released. They did not appear on the network's website in the list of stations; in some cases these are one-station markets.
  • 3The station is the only station in the confirmed market (per the press release) suitable for carriage, but was never listed in the network's affiliate list.
  • 4The station itself confirmed carriage by one of their engineers on the phone.
  • 5Was previously announced for the subchannel to air on WSFJ-TV, until 2008, when Guardian sold the station to Trinity Broadcasting Network and moved its programming to a former TBN repeater, W23BZ.
  • 6The .2 subchannel at this station since been (or will be) occupied by another service.

HDTV

.2 Network had plans to offer a 720p HDTV feed to its affiliates for either the subchannel or as a cable offering, despite some engineers' skepticism at the time of carrying two HDTV channels on one DTV frequency.[11] This has since been rectified, but most digital subchannels not associated with the largest six English-language or two Spanish-language networks continue to carry their signals solely in 480i.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "What Is the .2Network?". .2Network. Archived from the original on 2009-05-02. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  2. ↑ "Tribune Loses Another Senior Exec". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  3. ↑ ".2 Launch Pushed to Spring". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  4. ↑ "Digital's new niche: .2 Network programs for an expanded broadcast spectrum". Columbus Dispatch. March 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  5. ↑ "Home". www.dot2network.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  6. ↑ Eaton, Dan (November 25, 2011). "Bounce network helping TV station rebound: Page 2". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  7. ↑ Feran, Tim (2007-11-03). "Network aims to fill empty air time". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  8. ↑ ".2 Digital Network Trailer". .2 Network website. Archived from the original on 2008-06-14. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  9. ↑ Tribune Launching Classic TV Multicast Network, Broadcasting & Cable, August 30, 2010
  10. ↑ "Local Stations .2 Digital Network". Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  11. 1 2 Harry A. Jessell (2008-04-15). "New .2 Network Lines Up First Affils". TVNEWSDAY. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  12. ↑ "WDRL-TV Website". Retrieved 2008-06-03.
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