Paramount Network

Paramount Network (formerly known The Nashville Network, The National Network, The New TNN and Spike TV (or simply Spike)) is an American basic cable television channel owned and operated by the MTV Entertainment Group subdivision of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Skydance, serving as its flagship property. Headquartered at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles, it was originally founded by a partnership between radio station WSM and Westinghouse Broadcasting as The Nashville Network (TNN) and began broadcasting on March 7, 1983. It initially featured programming catering towards the culture of the Southern United States, including country music, variety shows, outdoors programming, and motor racing coverage (such as NASCAR). TNN was purchased by the Gaylord Entertainment Company in 1983. After Gaylord bought CMT in 1991, TNN's music programming was shifted to CMT, leaving TNN to focus on entertainment and lifestyle programming. In 1995, TNN and CMT were acquired by Westinghouse (owner of CBS), which was in turn acquired by Viacom in 1999. Under Viacom ownership, TNN would phase out country-influenced programming in favor of a general entertainment format appealing to Middle America. It was renamed "The National Network" in September 2000, coinciding with the network premiere of WWF Raw. In August 2003, TNN relaunched as Spike TV, which targeted a young adult male audience. From June 2006, the network's programming had a more explicit focus on the action genre, while in 2010, the network had an increased focus on original reality series. This culminated with a final rebrand in 2015 to emphasize gender-balanced series (such as Lip Sync Battle) and a return to original scripted programming. On January 18, 2018, the channel took its current name, aiming to align the channel with the Paramount Pictures film studio, and reposition it as a "premium" alignment cable network similar...