History of Court TV in Timeline

Court TV is an American digital broadcast network, originally launched in 1991 as a pay-television channel. It focused on crime-themed programming, including true crime documentaries, legal analysis talk shows, and live coverage of high-profile criminal trials. The original cable channel rebranded as TruTV in 2008.

June 1990: Projects Presented at National Cable Television Association

In June 1990, the American Trial Network and In Court projects were both present at the National Cable Television Association before merging to form Court TV.

December 14, 1990: Merger of Competing Projects

On December 14, 1990, two competing projects, the American Trial Network from Time Warner and American Lawyer Media, and In Court from Cablevision and NBC, combined to form Court TV.

July 1, 1991: Court TV Launches

On July 1, 1991, Court TV, known as Courtroom Television Network, was launched at 6:00 am Eastern Time by founder Steven Brill and was available to three million subscribers. Its original anchors were Jack Ford, Fred Graham, Cynthia McFadden, and Gregg Jarrett.

1991: Court TV Launched

In 1991, Court TV was originally launched as a pay-television channel with a focus on crime-themed programs, including true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news coverage of prominent criminal cases.

1993: Menéndez Brothers' First Trial

In 1993, Court TV gained prominence during the Menéndez brothers' first trial.

1995: O.J. Simpson Murder Trial

In 1995, Court TV gained further prominence with the coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

1996: Time Warner Acquisition of Turner

In 1996, Time Warner acquired Turner, making the buyout of Court TV Time Warner's first television network acquisition since.

1997: Steven Brill Leaves Court TV

In 1997, law writer Steven Brill, who led the network, left Court TV.

1997: U.S. Version Approved in Canada

In 1997, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the U.S. version of Court TV as an eligible foreign channel.

1998: NBC Sells Share and Original Programming Begins

In 1998, NBC sold its share of Court TV to Time Warner, and the network began running original and acquired programs in prime time, such as Homicide: Life on the Street, and Forensic Files.

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1999: Acquisition of Cops Rerun Rights

In 1999, Court TV acquired the rerun rights to Fox's Cops.

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1999: Second Logo

In 1999, Court TV introduced its second logo, which was used until 2005.

September 7, 2001: Court TV Canada Launches

On September 7, 2001, Court TV Canada, a Canadian version of the channel, launched.

2001: Court TV purchased The Smoking Gun

In 2001, Court TV purchased The Smoking Gun, a website that focuses on legal items such as mug shots and other public documents pertaining to famous individuals and cases.

2001: Court TV Purchased Crime Library

In 2001, Court TV purchased the website Crime Library, which provided detailed information about infamous crimes and how they were solved.

February 3, 2003: Court TV Plus Debuts on Sirius Satellite Radio

On February 3, 2003, Court TV Plus debuted on Sirius Satellite Radio, featuring audio from Court TV programs on Channel 134.

September 2005: Channel Moved on Sirius

In September 2005, Court TV Plus on Sirius Satellite Radio was moved to Channel 110.

2005: Programming Split Announced

In 2005, Court TV announced it would split its programming into two brands: Court TV News for daytime trial coverage and Seriously Entertaining for other dayparts, which would feature new reality television series focusing on crime-oriented topics.

2005: Third Logo

In 2005, Court TV introduced its third and final logo, which was used until 2007.

January 2006: RED Programming Block Launched

In January 2006, Court TV launched a male-targeted programming block known as "RED", an abbreviation of "Real. Exciting. Dramatic."

2006: Time Warner Buys Full Control

In 2006, Time Warner bought full control of Court TV and began running it as part of the company's Turner Broadcasting System division.

July 11, 2007: Court TV to Relaunch as truTV

On July 11, 2007, it was announced that Court TV would be relaunched as truTV on January 1, 2008.

2007: Third Logo

In 2007, the third and final Court TV logo was in use. This logo was used since 2005.

January 1, 2008: Relaunch as truTV

On January 1, 2008, Court TV was relaunched as truTV, marking a shift towards action-oriented reality series.

2008: Original programming library transferred

In 2008, Katz Broadcasting acquired the pre-2008 Court TV original programming library from Turner Broadcasting System and Warner Bros. Television Studios.

2008: Court TV becomes TruTV

In 2008, the original Court TV cable channel transitioned to become TruTV, marking a shift in its programming focus.

August 30, 2010: Court TV Canada Rebrands as Investigation Discovery

On August 30, 2010, Court TV Canada was rebranded to Investigation Discovery.

2014: The Smoking Gun Sold Back

In 2014, The Smoking Gun website was sold back to its founder after being a property of Court TV (later TruTV).

2014: Crime Library was actively updated

In 2014, the website Crime Library was actively updated. Court TV purchased Crime Library in 2001.

2015: Crime Library Taken Offline

In 2015, the Crime Library website, which Court TV purchased in 2001, was taken offline.

2017: HLN Produces More Original True Crime Programs

In 2017, HLN began to produce and premiere more original true crime programs due to changes in its programming strategy and the genre's growing popularity. Reruns of Court TV series then aired on HLN and the over-the-air digital network True Crime Network.

2017: Coverage of parents trial

The relaunched Court TV features live court coverage. The first live courtroom coverage was the Covington, Georgia, trial of parents who, after reporting their newborn baby missing in 2017, were later charged with murder.

December 10, 2018: Katz Broadcasting Announces Relaunch

On December 10, 2018, Katz Broadcasting announced that it would relaunch Court TV as an over-the-air network after acquiring the intellectual property rights. Affiliation deals with Tribune Media and Univision Communications were also announced.

May 2, 2019: Further Affiliation Deals Announced

On May 2, 2019, further affiliation deals with Meredith Corporation, Nexstar Media Group, Tegna, and Quincy Media were announced for the relaunched Court TV.

May 8, 2019: Court TV Relaunches as Digital Network

On May 8, 2019, Court TV was relaunched as a digital broadcast television network owned by Scripps Networks. The channel also became available via streaming and FAST services such as YouTube TV and The Roku Channel, and its audio feed was available on Sirius XM channel 793.

September 2019: Nexstar Acquisition of Tribune Closes

In September 2019, the Nexstar Media Group's acquisition of Tribune Media closed, further expanding Court TV's reach.

September 30, 2019: Escape Rebranded as Court TV Mystery

On September 30, 2019, the Escape network was rebranded as Court TV Mystery, serving as an extension to the Court TV brand.

May 15, 2020: Relaunch over SiriusXM

On May 15, 2020, Scripps relaunched Court TV Plus over SiriusXM.

May 2020: Network Added to YouTube TV

In May 2020, the Court TV network was picked up for carriage on YouTube TV, expanding its availability to a wider audience.

August 10, 2020: Testing on Astra 28.2°E

On August 10, 2020, Court TV began testing on Astra 28.2°E on frequency 11568 V DVB-S QPSK 22 5/6, with the label "54140".

August 11, 2020: New True-Crime Series Announced

On August 11, 2020, it was announced that a new original true-crime series titled Judgment with Ashleigh Banfield would premiere on September 13, 2020.

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