Classic TV hub MeTV is now available nationwide to DirecTV subscribers, TheWrap has exclusively learned. Subscribers with the Choice package and above will now have access to the classic television network.
MeTV will now live on channel 77 and will be available in HD on both DirecTV and DirecTV Stream. Weigel Broadcasting Co.’s flagship brand has been available on AT&T’s U-verse since December of 2012 and was given an HD option three years later. Coming to DirecTV marks a substantial expansion for the channel.
“MeTV is ‘Memorable Entertainment Television,’ making it a uniquely valuable addition to the
DirecTV channel lineup nationwide,” Neal Sabin, vice-chairman of Weigel Broadcasting
Co, said. “We couldn’t be happier to seal this deal which allows us to add MeTV beyond the existing
markets and deliver some of the most cherished and timeless television ever made to DirecTV
subscribers coast-to-coast.”
“This agreement provides Weigel additional reach to grow its viewership and sponsors, while
furthering DirecTV’s national and local programming interests,” Linda Burakoff, senior vice
president of content and programming at DirecTV, added. “We continue to work creatively, and
respectfully, with Weigel and other broadcasters to identify our mutual priorities, and then
develop them together to expand our customers, sponsors and future prospects.”
Marketed as “The Definitive Destination for Classic TV,” MeTV launched in 2003 as a programming block on Chicago’s WFBT-CA. In its modern iteration, the channel serves as a home for classic television, airing shows from the 1950s through the 1990s. At present, the channel has everything from “M*A*S*H” to “The Flintstones” and has more than 60 classic series per week.
MeTV is Weigel Broadcasting Co.’s original brand, but in the years since it has spawned various spinoffs, including the action-focused Heroes & Icons; the sitcom-heavy Catchy Comedy; the film-forward Movies!, which is a joint venture with Fox Television Studios; the drama-heavy Start TV, which is a joint venture with CBS News and Stations; and the history network Story Television.
