Television channel
El Rey Network (Spanish for The King) is a media brand founded by Robert Rodriguez on December 15, 2013, that is currently owned in a joint venture with FactoryMade Ventures.
Until December 31, 2020, El Rey was a cable and satellite network, operated and distributed in-partnership with Univision Communications (now known as TelevisaUnivision), dedicated to Grindhouse-style programming targeting Hispanic audiences. By March 2015, approximately 40 million households received El Rey;[1][2] its carriage would fall to 13 million households by the time of the network's closure.[3]
History
As a television network (2013–2020)
El Rey Network was one of two ethnic outlets created as part of an agreement between Comcast, NBC Universal, and the FCC as a condition for the merger between the former two broadcasters (the other network being Revolt).[1]
The network's headquarters was in Austin, Texas, and launched as part of the digital basic service on some of Comcast's systems.[4][5] Comcast announced that the network was expected to debut by January 2014.[6] In August 2012, Antoinette Alfonso Zel was announced as CEO.[7] In May 2013, Univision Communications (now known as TelevisaUnivision USA) announced that it would be an investor for El Rey, handling the sales and distribution of the network.[8][9]
In November 2013, it was announced that the production of From Dusk till Dawn: The Series had begun.[10] Upon launch in the week of December 15, 2013,[11] El Rey was also offered by cable companies Time Warner Cable,[12][13] with Bright House Networks offering soon later in January 2014,[14] and Cox Communications by February 2014.[11] Cablevision added the network on April 7, 2014.
The first satellite service to host El Rey was DirecTV in January 2014.[15]
That year, Lucha libre program Lucha Underground, featuring wrestlers from Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA) and produced by Mark Burnett, premiered on October 29, 2014.[16][17] The show would go on to become the network's flagship series and both it, and the corresponding promotion, received positive reception.[18][19]
Dish Network would begin carrying El Rey in January 2015.[20] The following month, El Rey was made available through cable company Suddenlink Communications in select markets.[21]
El Rey was added to AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS that same year.
Between 2018 and 2020, various cable and satellite providers began dropping the network.[citation needed] On November 6, 2020, Univision announced it had sold its stake in El Rey, as part of a larger effort by the company to refocus on its core Spanish-language businesses.[22][23] Soon after, it would be reported that El Rey would cease operations on December 31, though it was speculated that the network would relaunch as a streaming brand.[24] The network went dark at 2:59 a.m. Eastern.[25]
As a streaming network (2021–present)
On August 6, 2021, El Rey Network announced a partnership with Cinedigm that would see the network relaunch as a streaming channel. As part of this agreement, Cinedigm will exclusively distribute Rodriguez's 2019 film, Red 11, and a companion docuseries titled Rebel Without a Crew: The Robert Rodriguez Film School.[26][27][28] El Rey would relaunch later that month via The Roku Channel on August 17.[29]
