
WHY THIS MATTERS: Diginet purveyors have created multimillion-dollar businesses by converting extra spectrum and at least initially library programming into free over-the-air networks.
Updated: Monday, Nov. 19, 9:15 am PT
As the audience for diginets grows, so do their programming offerings.
And diginets' audiences are growing, make no mistake. While the nets also known as multicast networks got their start due to the availability of spectrum and extra channels when high-definition television came online, they have grown their businesses due to the unexpected rise of so-called cord-cutters and cord-nevers.
Instead of subscribing to expensive cable packages, cord-cutters, or people who abandon their cable subscription, and cord-nevers, or those who've never subscribed to cable in the first place, figure out other ways to watch television. One way that is growing in popularity is pairing inexpensive over-the-air antennas with over-the-top streaming subscriptions.
For example, a user could put an antenna on his house and then subscribe to advertising-supported Hulu for $7.99 per month, thereby creating a virtual cable package composed of over-the-air linear broadcasters, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW, as well as multicast networks, such as MeTV, This TV, Antenna TV, Cozi TV and many more.
The share of U.S. households that acquire their TV signals via over-the-air antenna increased to 20% or about 24 million homes from 16% from early 2015 through the end of 2017, according to Parks Associates data from March.
If you put yourself in the shoes of someone who can't afford or chooses not to subscribe to cable or satellite, an entertainment option with a free price point becomes popular, Katz Networks president and CEO Jonathan Katz said. It's a pairing that has organically happened as consumers have combined these two platforms into their own bundle.
In August 2017, The E.W. Scripps Co. acquired the 95% of Katz it didn't already own, including four multicast networks, Bounce, Escape, Grit and Laff, and subscription streaming service Brown Sugar, for $302 million. With the additional cash infusion, Katz has been able to accelerate its programming acquisitions.
"Scandal"
For example, in November, Bounce acquired all seven seasons of Shonda Rhimes' Scandal from Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International, which it began airing in primetime on Monday, Nov. 12.
Katz also has acquired Disney's According to Jim, to premiere on comedy-focused network Laff in 2019, joining Home Improvement, 3rd Rock From the Sun, That '70s Show, The Drew Carey Show, Night Court, Spin City and more.
On Jan. 1, 2019, female-focused Escape is adding the first 12 seasons of Law & Order and every episode of Boston Legal to a programming lineup that also includes Without a Trace.
And Western network Grit will add Warner Bros.' movie library of Westerns to its schedule.
Bounce also is the first diginet to expand into original scripted series and movies, Katz said.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, it will premiere holiday movie Stone Cold Christmas, a modern and female-driven take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. On Monday, Jan. 7, it will premiere half-hour series Last Call, starring Empire's Charles Malik Whitfield as an ex-NFL player who opens a comedy club. Last Call joins a slate of original series that includes Saints & Sinners, Family Time and In the Cut.
Netting Nostalgia Viewers
While the Katz networks are growing quickly, the highest-rated and best-distributed diginet continues to be Weigel Broadcasting's MeTV, which airs nostalgia programming such as Charlie's Angels, Big Valley, Bonanza and The Beverly Hillbillies. In the coming months, MeTV will launch its first original program, which it is producing in-house.
Besides MeTV, Weigel offers diginets Heroes & Icons, Movies and Decades. MeTV was one of the first diginets to launch and continues to offer nostalgia fare, along with competitors such as This TV, Antenna TV and Cozi TV.
In September, Weigel launched Start TV in partnership with the CBS-owned stations. The network airs scripted crime dramas that target women, such as The Closer, The Division, Early Edition, Family Law, Joan of Arcadia, Medium, Profiler, Touched by an Angel and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
Start TV already has done well enough that it will be nationally rated by Nielsen come December. In January, it will add five shows to the schedule, including The Good Wife and Crossing Jordan.
We continue to schedule dramas with women in leading and significant roles, Weigel vice chairman Neal Sabin said. That's one of the reasons we think the network has resonated so well with women. The network was correctly positioned at the right time.
Another network that got its start largely as a nostalgia net, NBCUniversal's Cozi TV, is starting to program more recent series. On Jan. 1, it will launch sitcom The Office.
It's a bold, innovative show that has proven to be rewatchable and has such a fan following, Cozi TV senior VP Meredith McGinn said.
"Little House on the Prairie"
Cozi airs classic sitcoms in primetime blocks, having found that viewers stick around for them. During the day, it airs dramas such as Murder, She Wrote and Little House on the Prairie. The diginet is available in more than 90 million homes and in 82% of the U.S.
The flip side of the Cozi coin is Spanish-language diginet TeleXitos, which launched in December 2014 and offers classic English-language series and movies dubbed in Spanish. So, U.S. Hispanics who enjoyed shows such as Miami Vice and Law & Order when they were growing up in their home countries can enjoy those shows again in their native language and with their families. TeleXitos just debuted Buffy the Vampire Slayer, also dubbed in Spanish.
The beauty of thi
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Cobalt Digital and SineSix Media Partner to Transform Accessibility Compliance into a More Engaging Viewer Experience at NAB Show 2026
Collaboration integrates...
17/04/2026
Strengthening Appear's North America team with a new Vice President of Business Development
Appear ASA (Appear, OSE: APR), a global leader in live producti...
17/04/2026
New framework helps broadcasters, streaming platforms, and sports organizations apply AI to live video for monetization, metadata, highlights, and downstream wo...
17/04/2026
New whitepaper gives broadcasters and OTT operators independent, codec-by-codec evidence that the VisualOn Optimizer transforms viewer quality of experience.
V...
17/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive 100G
Brie Clayton April 17, 2026
0 Comments
World's first immersive cinema camera f...
17/04/2026
NAB 2026: Vubiquity and Eluvio Showcase Streaming Solution that Significantly Re...
17/04/2026
What Makes a Good Marathon Running Playlist? We asked Xander Dawson, an eighth-semester saxophone major at Boston Conservatory running the Boston Marathon thi...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
At NAB Show 2026, PTZOptics (Booth N1902) will showcase a live sports streaming demo created in collaboration with Moondream, offering a new look at how Visual ...
17/04/2026
The Eindhoven University of Technology is a research university in the Netherlands spanning 25 buildings, specialising in engineering, science and technology. D...
17/04/2026
Documentary Editor - US, Remote
Brie Clayton April 17, 2026
0 Comments
Documentary Editor
April 13, 2026Freelance Video Cameraman - Los......
17/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF 100G
Brie Clayton April 17, 2026
0 Comments
Revolutionary digital film camera brings cinem...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Dubformer, the AI-powered dubbing platform, and Adapt, a global leader in AI-driven localization and dubbing solutions, have enabled Goalcast, the inspirational...
17/04/2026
At NAB 2026, Mavis will launch Mavis Studio, a new live production app for iPad that gives creators, broadcasters, and production teams a powerful new way to bu...
17/04/2026
Avid and Google Cloud today announced a multi-year strategic partnership to integrate generative and agentic AI into the media and entertainment industry's...
17/04/2026
At NAB Show, LucidLink will showcase how its platform brings content, people and workflows closer together than ever before, with newly available capabilities a...
17/04/2026
Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton to be Honored at Boston Conservatory at Berkle...
17/04/2026
Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, and Vinnie Colaiuta to Receive Honorary Doctorates at...
16/04/2026
Appear ASA (OSE: APR) will announce three additions to its X Platform at NAB Sho...
16/04/2026
Harmonic has announced that CentralCast, a centralized master control facility for U.S. public media, has deployed Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor t...
16/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Encompass Digital Media has integrated its BA...
16/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate its Media Infrastructure capabilities at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C2408, Central Hall), bringing routing, signal processing, and orche...
16/04/2026
As preparations ramp up for the FIFA World Cup 2026, Verizon has outlined a sweeping connectivity and infrastructure initiative that will underpin broadcast ope...
16/04/2026
Advanced Image Robotics (AIR) has announced its selection for the 2026 MLS Innovation Lab. AIR will work with MLS clubs, players, and executives on automated vi...
16/04/2026
JWX has announced the acquisition of True Anthem, an AI-powered social publishin...
16/04/2026
Jomboy Media and FuboTV Inc. have launched the Jomboy Media Channel, a 24/7 channel available to FuboTV base plan subscribers. The channel, timed to the start o...
16/04/2026
Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company (Booth C2820), and EVS Broadcast Equipmen...
16/04/2026
Tata Communications and Formula 1 have released Race Before the Race, the firs...
16/04/2026
DPA Microphones has released a firmware update for its N-Series Digital Wireless...
16/04/2026
Sony's Live Stage at NAB Show 2026 is the place to hear directly from the content creators, end users, and technology experts who are pushing boundaries in ...
16/04/2026
Perfect Game and Youth Prospects have announced a partnership covering broadcast...
16/04/2026
National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) has announced a media rights partnership with Al...
16/04/2026
Audio-Technica has announced two new mid-side (MS) stereo broadcast microphones:...
16/04/2026
PSSI Global Services has announced the acquisition of Beagle Networks, a provider of IT infrastructure and onsite technical support for media and enterprise cus...
16/04/2026
Blackmagic Design has released Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3, a free update available now from the Apple App Store. The update will be demonstrated at NAB Show ...