Launched April 21, 1996 Country United States CEO Charles Segars (2006–) Founded 1996 | Slogan Art Everywhere Language English Motto Art Everywhere | |
Owned by Privately held; independent
Investors include:
Hubbard Media Group
Corporate Partners II
Arcadia Investment Partners
Perry Capital
The Weinstein Company Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
(HD feed downgraded to letterboxed 480i for SDTVs) Headquarters Santa Monica, California, United States Parent organizations The Weinstein Company, Hubbard Broadcasting, Hubbard Media Group, LLC Profiles | ||
Ovation is a television network whose stated mission is to connect the world to all forms of art and artistic expression.
Contents
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, Verizon FiOS, Comcast/Xfinity, RCN, Time Warner Cable, Charter (selected markets) and other major cable systems across the country (check 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, Perry Capital, and The Weinstein Company.
As of February 2015, approximately 54 million households (46.4% of those with television) receive Ovation.
History
The channel was launched in 1997 and relaunched in June 2007, 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, art, music and film. On March 1, 2010, the channel dropped the "TV" from its name in a rebranding effort.
Carriage
On December 18, 2012, Time Warner Cable announced plans to remove Ovation from its own systems as well as those operated by Bright House Networks (for which TWC negotiates carriage agreements). Time Warner Cable and Bright House dropped Ovation at midnight Eastern Time on December 31, 2012. The two providers later reached an agreement to resume carriage of Ovation on October 16, 2013, reinstating the channel on TWC and Bright House systems on January 1, 2014.
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. Ovation HD is currently available on DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS, and AT&T U-verse.
Programming
Ovation programming is a mix of original and selectively curated television series, films, documentaries and specials, targeting a multi-generational audience.
In 2013, Ovation gained national attention when it announced the exclusive US premiere of a 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 seventh season, with season 8 premiering in February 2015. In 2013, the network also premiered The Art Of which returns with season 4 in 2015.
Ovation has 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 Swan Lake.
Original series premiering in 2014 included The Fashion Fund, starring Anna Wintour and Diane Von Furstenberg, Capture, wherein celebrity photographer Mark Seliger and other legendary shooters sit with A-list celebrities to share the stories behind their indelible images, Young Marvels, highlighting the artistic achievements made by young people in dance, music, and Trending Trailers, with celebrity interviews and previews of upcoming films.
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 Crow, Blondie, and Lindsey Stirling.
In 2015, Ovation premiered the new reality show Art Breakers. Art Breakers steps inside the high-stakes world of art collecting. Powerhouse dealers Miller Gaffney and Carol Lee Brosseau deploy their vast knowledge to curate the most enviable collections for demanding patrons. On November 9, Ovation will be the exclusive home to NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage, Kevin Spacey and Sam Mendes’ documentary following Spacey’s theater company as they take their production of "Richard III" around the world, with Spacey in the lead role. Weekday mornings on Ovation are anchored by Morning Canvas, a daily offering of artistic inspiration with host Nikki Boyer.
Ovation will debut the U.S. premiere of international drama series Versailles on October 1, 2016.
Current programming:
Former programming:
Commitment to the arts
Ovation is committed to making the arts accessible to everyone. In 2013, the company announced its branding tagline, "Art Everywhere", as an expression of this intent and subsequently has created and launchedccarts-centric experiences that invite participation from viewers. Complementing the network's slate of original and newly acquired programming are Ovation's partnerships with arts and cultural organizations across the country, including museums and cultural institutions like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Lincoln Center, the Museum of Modern Art, Film Independent, and many others. These partnerships provide Ovation's distribution partners with unique opportunities for local involvement and an increased community profile. In turn, cultural institutions gain previously out-of-reach access to local and national marketing opportunities and programming platforms. Over $16 million in direct support and donated media has been provided over the last six years, an amount unprecedented for an independent television network.
Ovation is committed to promoting the arts and arts education across the country. Among its many initiatives over the years has been its four-year partnership with Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to support Arts Advocacy Day, which brings grass-roots arts organizations, arts advocates and cultural leaders to Washington DC to lobby for increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. Ovation has also partnered with AFTA, and the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities in launching the InnOVATION STEAM Grant Awards. The first program of its kind, The InnOvation STEAM Grand Awards provides grants to outstanding school programs that have integrated the Arts into their core curriculum. For more information on this program see: www.ovationtv.com/innovation-steam.