American digital multicast TV network
Television channel
Defy TV is an American digital multicast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, airing primarily reality shows, having launched on July 1, 2021, with broadcast coverage of 92% of the United States.
History
On March 2, 2021, Scripps announced that it would launch two new multicast networks—Defy and TrueReal—in the wake of its acquisition of Ion Media and television transmitters shutting Qubo and Ion Plus down across the United States.[1] The channels are part of Scripps's strategy to increase perception among cord cutters that do not have traditional pay TV packages.[2]
The services launched on July 1 with 92% national coverage, mostly on Ion transmitters but also on subchannels of some Scripps local TV stations and by agreement with other station groups.[3]
On March 10, 2023, Scripps announced that TrueReal would shut down on March 27, merging its programming into Defy TV.[4]
Programming
The network's launch schedule was mainly made up of out-of-production unscripted shows from the library of A&E Networks, including Swamp People, American Pickers, Ax Men, Counting Cars, UFO Hunters, Forged in Fire and Pawn Stars.[5]
