Comet (TV network)
4:3 on some over-the-air affiliates) | |
Ownership | |
---|---|
Owner | Sinclair Broadcast Group[2] |
Parent | Sinclair Television Group[2] |
Key people |
|
History | |
Founded | June 29, 2015 |
Launched | October 31, 2015[4] |
Links | |
Webcast | Watch live |
Website | comettv |
Availability | |
Terrestrial | |
List of Comet affiliates | |
Streaming media | |
Service(s) | FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, |
Comet is an American
.History
On June 29, 2015, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and the Sinclair Broadcast Group's broadcasting and programming subsidiary Sinclair Television Group, Inc. announced the expected 4th quarter launch of the then-unnamed science fiction network.[6][7] Sinclair chief operating officer David Amy, in announcing the partnership, noted that MGM "has an extensive collection of science fiction films and television movies that appeal to a vast audience who will now be able to access that content through broadcast television". Sinclair tapped its television stations in many of the 79 markets where the company owned or operated a broadcasting property at the time of the announcement to serve as the network's initial charter affiliates.[2][8][9] On August 5, 2015, in its financial report for the second fiscal quarter, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that the new network would be named Comet.[10]
The network formally launched on
In early March 2017, the network started
As of 2020, along with sibling network Charge!, Comet is now owned-and-operated by Sinclair as MGM sold their operation stake in the two networks.[17]
Programming
Comet currently provides up to 18 hours of programming to its owned-and-operated and affiliated stations on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time and weekends from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The remaining vacated hours are occupied by paid programming.
Comet draws from the extensive library of films and television programming owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and subsidiary United Artists, carrying more than 1,500 hours worth of sci-fi programming from the studio.[5][2][4]
The network's programming consists of content from science fiction, horror, fantasy and other related genres, with a mix of theatrically released feature films and select
Recently, Comet started airing The X-Files, which select episodes of the show can be available to stream on Sister service Stirr, alongside other Comet shows such as Stargate SG-1, Farscape, Quantum Leap, The Outer Limits, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grimm, Sliders and Battlestar Galactica. However, some content is not broadcast in its original form due to censorship that includes muting slurs, mild swearing, pixilation of nudity, blood, gore or skipping controversial episodes.[20]
Business
Comet is the first national multicasting venture by Sinclair, which aimed to develop content for the 162 television stations it ran at the time (many of which are operated through management outsourcing agreements with stations that Sinclair owns outright). Following an earlier effort in 2011, with its acquisition of the Ring of Honor wrestling promotion, Sinclair launched the American Sports Network programming in 2014, and entered into a production investment and development deal with the Michael Eisner-owned Tornante Company on the day that Comet's then-upcoming launch was announced.[21]
The network operates in a similar fashion to a
Affiliates
In October 2015, for its debut, Comet had affiliation agreements with television stations covering 60% of the United States (or 150,891,489 households with at least one television set).[5] By July 2016, the network had grown to 72 markets covering 72% of U.S. TV households.[19]
Sinclair Broadcast Group initially planned to launch Comet on select television stations owned by the company (including those operated through outsourcing agreements with partner companies
Due to its co-ownership by Sinclair, some of the group's stations (as well as others not run by Sinclair, Deerfield, Howard Stirk, or Cunningham that are affiliated with the syndication service) may elect to pre-empt certain afternoon or evening programs within the national Comet schedule to carry telecasts from the Sinclair-owned American Sports Network. This capacity is currently utilized by Sinclair for many of its Fox, The CW and MyNetworkTV and other affiliated subchannels[23] as an alternate outlet to air events not being carried by the affiliate's main channel.
See also
- Syfy – American cable and satellite network owned by NBCUniversal, featuring science fiction, fantasy, drama and horror programming.
- Syfy Universal– international version of Syfy serving countries in Europe and Latin America.
- CTV Sci-Fi Channel – a similarly formatted cable and satellite channel in Canada, owned by Bell Media
References
- ^ "RabbitEars.Info".
- ^ TVSpy. Mediabistro Holdings. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ Mirabella, Lorraine (November 11, 2016). "Sinclair Broadcast shuffles top management in second round of changes". Baltimore Sun. Baltimore Sun Media Group. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
On Friday the company said Chief Operating Officer David Amy, who has served in that role and as executive vice president since 2014, will become vice chairman and oversee human resources, corporate marketing and the networks group.
- ^ a b c d John Kiesewetter (October 12, 2015). "New Sci-Fi Comet Channel Lands Here Oct. 31". WVXU. Cincinnati Public Radio. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Kevin Downey (June 29, 2015). "MGM, Sinclair To Debut Sci-Fi Diginet". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ Paige Albiniak (June 29, 2015). "Sinclair, MGM Partner on New Sci-Fi Diginet". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ "Sinclair Broadcast Group And Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Partner On First Ever Science Fiction Multi-Channel Network". Sinclair Broadcast Group. PR Newswire. June 29, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ Lorraine Mirabella (June 29, 2015). "Sinclair Broadcast forms venture with former Disney CEO Eisner to create TV shows". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ Michael Balderston (June 29, 2015). "Sinclair, MGM Team on Sci-Fi Multi-Channel Network". TVTechnology. NewBay Media. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ Lorraine Mirabella (August 5, 2015). "Sinclair Broadcast exceeds second-quarter profit forecasts". Baltimore Sun. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ "Schedule A" (PDF). Comet. Sinclair Television Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ^ a b "Sinclair to launch science fiction network on Halloween". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Publishing. October 20, 2015.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (March 21, 2017). "Sinclair, MGM Launch Comet TV Free Sci-Fi Network on Apple TV, Roku". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
- ^ Frankel, Daniel (October 31, 2018). "Sony PlayStation Vue adds Tennis Channel, Comet, Stadium". Multichannel. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (January 16, 2019). "Sinclair Enters Streaming Arena With Entertainment Bundle and Local Channels". Variety. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ Bouma, Luke (February 20, 2019). "Sling TV Just Added More Sci-Fi Programming Thanks to Comet". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "Sinclair Pushes Its 'Stack' of Digital Over-the-Air Nets". 4 June 2021.
- ^ Johnny Brayson (October 30, 2015). "The 8 Most Bizarre Episodes of The Outer Limits". Outer Places. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
... the reboot returning to television via Comet TV ...
- ^ a b c Buckman, Adam (July 26, 2016). "Comet Diginet Streaks Into Multicast Universe". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheckMedia, LLC. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ ""The X-Files" Home (TV Episode 1996) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ Cynthia Littleton (June 29, 2015). "Sinclair Revs Original Programming Activity With MGM, Tornante Deals". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ Rick Seltzer (October 19, 2015). "Sinclair will launch its sci-fi network with MGM on Halloween". Baltimore Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ Deborah McAdams (July 17, 2014). "Sinclair Launches Sports Network". TV Technology. Archived from the original on July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.