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The A&E Network is a cable and satellite television network based in New York City. A&E stands for "Arts & Entertainment," which for many years was in the channel's full title. The network also airs in Canada.
Description and programming The channel, which originally focused programming on biographies, documentaries, and drama series (especially crime dramas and mysteries), and has expanded to include reality television programming, reaches more than 85 million homes in the United States and Canada. A&E is a joint venture of the Hearst Corporation (37.5% ownership), The Walt Disney Company (37.5%), and NBC Universal (25%). The network is a result of a merger in 1984 between a service called ARTS, the Alpha Repertory Television Service, launched in 1981 by Hearst/ABC Video Services, and The Entertainment Channel, started by NBC in 1982. The A&E channel is the flagship of the A&E Television Networks group, which also includes The History Channel and The Biography Channel. Unlike most other major American television networks, it has often shown programming from abroad, particularly the United Kingdom, one of the highest-profile outlets British programming has had in the United States outside of PBS until the introduction of BBC America. However, the use of British programming has diminished greatly since A&E began scheduling more reality shows. For example, the network waited almost a year and a half to show the fourth season of MI-5, programmed it after prime time on Friday nights at 11pm Eastern, then stopped showing it after only two episodes, and programmed the rest of the season in one day on October 21, 2006. • Recent developments Between 2003 and 2005, the channel gradually retired its long-running series, including Murder, She Wrote and Agatha Christie's Poirot (these programs have moved to The Biography Channel), in favor of reality programming such as Dog The Bounty Hunter, Growing Up Gotti, Family Plots, Airline, Inked, King of Cars, and Criss Angel Mindfreak. In addition, A&E has garnered favorable notice for "true-crime" documentary series such as Cold Case Files, American Justice, City Confidential, Investigative Reports, and The First 48. The station has also cut back on its broadcasts of Biography from its original twice-daily airings to once-weekly showings. Notably, the station also retired its long-held slogan "Time Well Spent." The changes are apparently an attempt to lure higher ratings, as reality programs have done for other stations. A&E has continued to rank in the top twenty-five U.S. basic cable outlets in prime time ratings. A&E's most-watched program was the docudrama Flight 93, about the hijacking of the plane which crashed in Pennsylvania during the September 11, 2001 attacks. According to Nielsen, the program attracted 5.9 million viewers for its initial telecast on January 30, 2006. The previous record-holder for the network was a World War II docudrama, "Ike: Countdown to D-Day", starring Tom Selleck and broadcast in 2004, with 5.5 million viewers. • A&E HD
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