AXS TV
AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat sports – including boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Denver, Colorado (with offices in Dallas and Los Angeles) |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | AXS TV, LLC
|
| Sister channels | HDNet Movies Pursuit Channel GameTV (Canada) Game+ (Canada) Fight Network (Canada) |
| History | |
| Launched | September 6, 2001 |
| Founder | Mark Cuban |
| Former names | HDNet (2001–2012) |
| Links | |
| Website | axs |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Service(s) | DirecTV Stream, Philo, Sling TV |
The network was originally established in 2001 as HDNet, with investor Mark Cuban as a founding partner. HDNet was originally intended as an exclusively-high-definition network, carrying films and acquired television series, concerts, news programming, and sporting events produced in the format.
HDNet's original niche became increasingly redundant as more cable networks established their own HD feeds. In 2012, HDNet sold ownership stakes to Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), Creative Artists Agency, and Ryan Seacrest, with Cuban retaining a majority stake. It then relaunched under its current name–taken from AEG's online ticket platform AXS.com–on July 2, 2012, pivoting to a format based on music and popular culture. In September 2019, Canadian broadcaster Anthem Sports & Entertainment acquired a majority stake in AXS TV, with AEG and Cuban retaining minority stakes.
AXS TV is available to 50 million households in the United States as of December 2020.