'The History Channel' is a
cable television channel, which primarily presents programming related to historical events and persons—often with observations and explanations by noted
historians as well as
reenactors and interviews with witnesses. Some of the original programming is also shown on
History Television in
Canada. The
UK version of the History Channel is operated as a joint venture between
A&E and
British Sky Broadcasting.
Programming and ownership
Programs cover a wide array of periods and topics, while similar topics are often organized into themed weeks or daily marathons. Subjects include military history, medieval history, the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, modern
engineering, and historical biographies. Many programs compare contemporary culture and technology with the past, while some programs have a more esoteric focus such as
conspiracy theory,
religious interpretation,
UFO speculation, or
reality television. The History Channel maintains a non-profit fund called
Save Our History, dedicated to the preservation of history and historical sites and artifacts, similar in spirit but not to be confused with the
National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Launched in January 1995, the channel is owned by A&E joint venture (Hearst, Disney, NBC) and Sky
News Corp.[1] and operates, in various forms, in the
United States, the
United Kingdom,
Australia,
New Zealand,
Portugal,
Spain,
Italy and
Latin America. The network is also currently available in
South Asia under a deal between
STAR TV and
AETN International. Interestingly, the channel has consistently produced
prime time ratings in the U.S. comparable to or higher than the
A&E Network itself. The channel is not to be confused with a similar, independently-owned,
Canadian service,
History Television. Indeed, the phrase "Not available in Canada" became a ''de facto'' slogan for the channel in its early years, as a result of its use in promotional ads, at least those aired on A&E (which is available in Canada).
[2]
A
high-definition version of the History Channel was launched at 8pm
BST on Thursday
October 26 2006, on the
Sky HD platform in the United Kingdom. An HD version of the network launched in the United States in September 2007 on Dish Network. It is expected to launch on DirecTV later in September.
A Scandinavian version was launched in September 1997, broadcasting for three hours per day on the analogue
Viasat platform. Initially time-sharing with
TV1000 Cinema, it was later moved to the Swedish
TV8 channel and continued broadcasting there until November 2004 when Viasat launched their own history channel,
Viasat History, in the Nordic region and closed down the History Channel. On February 1, 2007 the History Channel returned to Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden when the UK version was launched as a stand-alone channel on the
Canal Digital satellite platform.
A joint venture of A&E and
Astro All Asia Networks plc is launching the History Channel in
Singapore,
Hong Kong,
Thailand, the
Philippines,
Malaysia,
Indonesia,
Vietnam and
Brunei in the second and third quarters of 2007, and in
Taiwan and
China by the end of the year.
[3] Some other Asian countries such as
Japan and
South Korea currently have their own versions of the network.
Criticism and evaluation
The History Channel received the nickname, the "
Hitler Channel",
[4] for its extensive coverage of World War II, though much military-themed programming has now been shifted to its sister network, the
Military History Channel. A U.S.-based network, the History Channel has been criticized for devoting most of its coverage to
US and
Western history.
[5] Programs have been faulted for bias especially in treatment of non-Western societies and customs.
[6] The network has also received criticism for emphasizing the history of relatively recent times, as opposed to
ancient or
medieval eras. In addition, the History Channel has been reproved for giving too much attention to arguably non-historical subjects, such as
UFOs.
[7]
However, the network has won praise from professional historians such as Stanley Kutner for its willingness to examine the biases of its own programming – in particular, a series on the
John F. Kennedy assassination.
[8] Programs such as ''
Modern Marvels'' have been praised for their presentation of detailed information in an entertaining format.
[9]
List of shows
Regular series
Specials and mini-series
Specials
★ ''
Blood Diamonds'' (2006)
★ ''
How William Shatner Changed the World'' (2005)
★ ''Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier'' (2007)
★ ''The Last Stand of the 300'' (2007)
★ '' (2007)
★ ''The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1998)
Syndication
★ ''
In Search of...'' History Channel Run (Ca. 1998-2003) Original 1976-1982.
Video games
★
''The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome''
★
''The History Channel: Civil War The Game''
★
''The History Channel: ShootOut! The Game''
★
''The History Channel: Dogfights The Game''
DVD
★ ''The Unknown Hitler'' DVD collection,
[10] including ''
Hitler and the Occult''
See also
★
A&E Television Networks
★
The Biography Channel
★
History International
★
List of DirecTV channels
★
List of Dish Network channels
★
List of documentary channels
Notes
1. About AETN
2. Librarian and Information Science News
3. A&E Television Networks & Astro Form Joint Venture
The History Channel Expands Through Asia
4. "All Hitler, all the time" by Mark Schone (''Salon'', May 8, 1997).
5. Time traveller's guide to the Roman Empire
6. History Channel Distorts the Crusades Thomas E. Brewton
7. Jump the Shark - History Channel
8. Why the History Channel Had to Apologize for the Documentary that Blamed LBJ for JFK's Murder Stanley Kutner
9. Modern Marvels: Technology Scott Weinberg
10. The History Channel Online Store: The Unknown Hitler DVD Collection
External links
★
The History Channel Official Site
★
The History Channel Asia
★
The History Channel India
★
The History Channel Around the World
★
The History Channel International
★
Save Our History
★
MediaLifeMagazine website (source of cable network ratings)
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