Outdoor Channel

World Screen Weekly, November 15, 2007

LAUNCH DATE: 1994

COUNTRY: United States

OWNERSHIP: Independently owned and operated by Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc.

DISTRIBUTION: 30 million homes via cable and satellite.

DESCRIPTION: With the tagline, “America’s leader in outdoor TV,” the Outdoor Channel offers programming that captures the excitement of hunting, fishing, the Western lifestyle, off-road motor sports, adventure and other outdoor activities. The channel can be viewed on multiple platforms including high definition, video on demand, as well as on a new broadband website.

CEO: Roger Werner

COO: Tom Hornish

HEAD OF PROGRAMMING: Lloyd Adams

HEAD OF ACQUISITIONS: Jeff Wayne

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: In order to meet the needs of its viewers, Outdoor Channel offers content covering a wide array of activities. “We have the most comprehensive program offering in the traditional outdoor content space,” says Tom Hornish, the channel’s COO. The channel boasts a range of content aimed at enthusiasts of hunting, fishing, shooting sports and outdoor adventure. “Outdoor Channel’s ongoing initiative to provide quality entertainment is exemplified through the creation of thematic prime-time programming ‘blocks,’ allowing the viewers to watch one of many categories on a designated night.”

These program blocks include Cabela’s Monday Night Fishing, Tuesday Night Pursuits presented by Mossy Oak, Midwayusa’s Wednesday Night On The Range, Thursday Night Flight, Off-Road Friday presented by Optima Batteries, Saturday Getaway and Sunday Night On The Hunt presented by Thompson Center.

Shows produced in house fill about 30 percent of the channel’s schedule, with more than 40 original programs. These include Step Outside, a show that encourages outdoor enthusiasts to introduce family, friends and special guests to traditional outdoor sports; Ultimate Match Fishing, a single-elimination invitational tournament that pits major professional anglers against each other while fishing in the same boat; Jim Zumbo Outdoors, which focuses on the realities of hunting with tips, techniques and educational information about wildlife habits and behavior; and Shooting Gallery, an instructional show for gun collectors, competitors, hunters and those who carry guns for self-defense.

The remaining 70 percent of the network’s grid is acquired from the U.S., even though many of the channel’s shows are filmed internationally, including in Africa, Mexico and Canada.

While the Outdoor Channel plans to increase the number of programs it produces over the next few years, it will still be looking to acquire content from new sources. According to Hornish, the channel follows a strict directive when evaluating programs for acquisition. “First and foremost, quality—both in the overall technical sense as well as the editorial, so the viewer is engaged and entertained when watching Outdoor Channel.” Other considerations, he adds, include audience avidity, demographics, ratings and the potential and ability to leverage shows in marketing and advertising partnerships.

WHAT’S NEW: A range of new programming has recently made its debut on the channel, including DockDogs, which features a head-to-head dog-jumping competition between North America’s top canines in both the Dock-Diving (long jump) and the Extreme Vertical (high jump) competitions. Top qualifiers in each region will be invited to compete in the National Championship finals.

In addition to increasing the amount of original programming it airs, Outdoor Channel will continue to embrace new-media technologies. “Outdoor Channel’s overall programming strategy is to provide outdoor enthusiasts with the high-quality content they crave, when they want it, and where they want it,” says Hornish. To this end, the channel can be viewed on multiple platforms including VOD and a website equipped with a broadband video player.

WEBSITE: www.outdoorchannel.com

—By Ned Berke