USA Network
On the 22nd of September 1977, a new channel named the Madison Square Garden Sports Network began broadcasting. This launch marked one of the first national sports cable television channels in American history. Cable provider UA-Columbia Cablevision and the Madison Square Garden Corp founded the network together. It utilized satellite delivery to distribute programming to cable systems across the country. This method differed from the industry standard microwave relay used by other networks at that time. The channel was also the first basic cable network to rely heavily on advertising revenue for its operations. From its very beginning, the network broadcast sporting events from Madison Square Garden to a national audience. It shared programming with the MSG Network, which served as a regional sports outlet. The network quickly added college and professional sports held at various venues beyond New York City. In 1978, children's programming joined the lineup to diversify the schedule.
Ownership of the network changed hands multiple times over the following decades. On the 9th of April 1980, the channel officially changed its name to USA Network. Time Inc. agreed to buy UA-Columbia's share of the network in 1981. That same year, MCA Inc. bought into the venture, creating a three-way partnership. A non-compete clause prevented partners from owning other basic cable networks independently. Time Inc. dropped out of the joint venture in 1987 after failing to acquire CNN from Ted Turner. MCA and Paramount Pictures became sole owners of the channel through a fifty-fifty split. In 1994, Viacom purchased Paramount Communications, leading to legal disputes. MCA sued Viacom for breach of contract regarding the non-compete agreement. A judge sided with MCA, forcing Viacom to sell its stake in USA and the Sci-Fi Channel to Seagram for $1.7 billion. Barry Diller subsequently acquired a controlling interest in February 1998, forming USA Networks, Inc. The company merged these channels with existing properties like Home Shopping Network and Silver King Broadcasting. In May 2002, USA Networks sold its assets to Vivendi Universal for $10.3 billion. General Electric later merged NBC with Vivendi's North American entertainment assets to form NBC Universal. Comcast eventually took full control of NBCUniversal in 2011.
In 2005, USA Network introduced a new logo and marketing campaign called Characters Welcome. This slogan emphasized the wide range of programming offered by the network. Promos featured daily lives of characters from the network's shows to establish a distinct brand identity. Original programming during this era focused on comedic and optimistic action drama series. Psych debuted in 2006 as a notable example of this blue sky approach. Burn Notice followed in 2007, and Royal Pains arrived in 2009. These shows contrasted sharply with grittier offerings from other mainstream cable networks. Monk premiered on the 1st of July 2002, starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk. The character was a former San Francisco police inspector who suffered from obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Monk ran for eight seasons until it ended on the 4th of December 2009. It became one of the first breakout hit series for the channel. In October 2005, Raw returned to USA Network after Viacom did not renew its broadcasting agreement with WWE. On the 13th of May 2007, NBC Universal announced that Law & Order: Criminal Intent would move to USA Network starting with its seventh season. The 1st of June 2008 premiere of In Plain Sight drew 5.3 million viewers, marking the highest-rated series premiere since Psych.
The network has maintained a longstanding relationship with professional wrestling company WWE since 1977. Broadcasts of Madison Square Garden events aired on USA Network during those early years. The first weekly WWE show on USA Network debuted on the 4th of September 1983, titled WWF All American Wrestling. WWF Prime Time Wrestling broadcast on the channel from 1985 to 1993 before being superseded by Raw. The flagship program Raw originally aired on USA Network from January 1993 until moving to TNN in September 2000. It returned to USA Network in October 2005. On the 7th of January 2016, WWE's second flagship program SmackDown moved to USA Network from Syfy. In 2018, USA renewed rights to Raw for five additional years but lost SmackDown to Fox beginning in October 2019. WWE NXT returned to USA Network on the 18th of September 2019, airing live on Wednesday nights. In September 2023, it was announced that SmackDown would return to USA in 2024 under a five-year deal. This agreement included four annual primetime specials on NBC known as Saturday Night's Main Event. By November 2023, NXT moved to The CW, and Raw was set to move to Netflix in 2025.
USA Network carried Major League Baseball games on Thursday nights from 1979 to 1983. The NHL on USA ran from 1979 to 1985, while College Football on USA aired from 1980 to 1986. Its telecast of the 1981 Liberty Bowl was the first college bowl game exclusively broadcast on cable television. The NBA on USA also aired from 1979 to 1984, marking the first time the league had a cable partner. For seventeen years from 1981 to 1998, the network aired a weekly boxing show called USA Tuesday Night Fights. Tennis on USA covered professional tournaments in the United States from 1984 to 2008. It served as the longtime cable home of the US Open before rights moved to ESPN2 and the Tennis Channel in 2009. The PGA Tour on USA covered opening rounds of the Masters Tournament from 1982 to 2007. Since 2004, the network has broadcast select events from the Olympic Games. In September 2020, a Notre Dame Fighting Irish football game was scheduled for USA due to NBC's commitments to the U.S. Open. Coverage of a primetime game against Clemson on the 7th of November 2020, briefly moved from NBC to USA because of news coverage by president-elect Joe Biden. With the shutdown of NBCSN at the end of 2021, USA became the main cable outlet of NBC Sports in 2022.
In April 2016, USA Network unveiled a new branding campaign with the slogan We the Bold. This campaign reflected a focus on rich stories about unlikely heroes who defy the status quo. The channel quietly discontinued the Characters Welcome tagline during the lead-up to this rebranding. Programming shifts included premieres of Mr. Robot and Colony. Variety reported that the strategy aimed to appeal to themes of authenticity, resiliency, bravery, and innovation. The Washington Post felt the rebranding symbolically marked the end of the blue sky era. Alexandra Shapiro, an NBCUniversal marketing executive, explained that the previous campaign reflected the weirdly optimistic mood of the network's key demographic. Amid the growth of streaming services like Peacock, USA began cutting back on scripted programming. The network favored reality shows, television events, and live programming including WWE programs. In 2020, the network cancelled Dare Me, The Purge, The Sinner, and Treadstone. In December 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported that USA was considering a return to original scripted series. The channel targeted shows with budgets of $2 million to $3 million per episode. By June 2024, USA ordered The Rainmaker as the first series produced under this plan. In November 2024, Comcast announced its intent to spin off most of NBCUniversal's cable properties into a new public company named Versant.
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Common questions
When did the USA Network begin broadcasting as the Madison Square Garden Sports Network?
The channel began broadcasting on the 22nd of September 1977. It launched as a national sports cable television channel founded by UA-Columbia Cablevision and the Madison Square Garden Corp.
Who owns the USA Network today after Comcast took control in 2011?
Comcast currently controls NBCUniversal which includes the USA Network. In November 2024, Comcast announced its intent to spin off most of NBCUniversal's cable properties into a new public company named Versant.
What was the first weekly WWE show that debuted on the USA Network?
WWF All American Wrestling became the first weekly WWE show to debut on the USA Network on the 4th of September 1983. The flagship program Raw originally aired on the network from January 1993 until moving to TNN in September 2000 before returning in October 2005.
Which boxing show ran for seventeen years on the USA Network starting in 1981?
USA Tuesday Night Fights served as the weekly boxing show from 1981 to 1998. This programming block marked a significant portion of the network's sports coverage during those two decades.
When did the USA Network introduce the Characters Welcome branding campaign?
The channel introduced the Characters Welcome marketing campaign and new logo in 2005. This strategy emphasized comedic and optimistic action drama series such as Psych which debuted in 2006 and Monk which premiered on the 1st of July 2002.