This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris, tours of grand hotels, and visits to significant cities and towns. However, recent programming is almost entirely focused on food, while other limited programming, such as Ghost Adventures, puts an emphasis on allegedly haunted locations. A new program titled "Deathwish Movers" follows the work of a moving crew as they attempt to place furniture in the upper floors of tall buildings. The network is available in 95 million homes in the United States.^[1]

History[link]

The Travel Channel was launched by Trans World Airlines on February 1, 1987, presumably to boost airline patronage. The name was derived from travel-related filler programming offered by the Home Theater Network premium cable service. TWA purchased the name rights from Group W Satellite Communications in 1986, and following GWSC's shutdown of HTN in January 1987, took over HTN's transponder spot.^[2] The network was later sold to Landmark Communications, then owner of The Weather Channel, and later Paxson Communications. Discovery bought 70% of the channel in 1997, acquiring the rest in 1999. In May 2007, Discovery sold Travel Channel to Cox Enterprises subsidiary Cox Communications as part of a larger multi-billion dollar transaction.^[3] However, Discovery Communications still distributed the channel under Discovery Networks.

On November 5, 2009, it was announced that Scripps Networks Interactive had paid $1.1 billion for a 65% interest in the network.^[4] The deal closed in January 2010. Scripps currently distributes Travel Channel and rebroadcasts some programming on it from Food Network.

Confusingly, some TV listings display the logo of an unrelated cable channel, also called the Travel Channel (UK) and airing in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as that of the American channel as well. That channel is owned by an independent company with no relation to Scripps, Discovery, or Cox which holds the "Travel Channel" trademarks in the British Isles.

On 22 March 2012, Scripps Networks Interactive announced that it had agreed to pay £65m (US$102.7m) to acquire Travel Channel International Limited, the UK-based distributor of the Travel Channel brand across the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific markets.^[5] The deal was completed on 1 May 2012 following regulatory approval.^[6] The international channel will be integrated with Scripps' Travel Channel.

Travel Channel HD[link]

Travel Channel HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of Travel Channel that launched on January 14, 2008. It is available nationwide on Dish Network and DirecTV, and regionally on Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Cable, Charter, Cablevision, Bright House Networks, Buckeye CableSystem, Mediacom, Suddenlink, and Insight. When the network's operations were taken over by Scripps Networks, the network's presentation of series filmed in standard definition changed from a 14:9 pillarboxed presentation as had been done when owned by Discovery to Scripps's default HD format of video stretched across the screen.

Programming[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website