We TV is an American pay television channel that is owned by AMC Networks. The network is oriented mainly towards lifestyle and entertainment programming, primarily targeting women. "WE" was formerly used as an abbreviation of "Women's Entertainment", although this was downplayed in a 2014 rebranding in order to focus more upon "shared experiences". As of February 2015, approximately 85.2 million American households received We TV. In March 2015, Dish Network's Sling TV announced it would soon begin making AMC Networks channels available to cord cutters, including AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and We TV.
History
As Romance Classics (1997–2001)
We TV was originally known as Romance Classics when it launched on September 1, 1997 under the ownership of what was then the Cablevision Systems Corporation-controlled Rainbow Media. It was originally a movie channel focusing mostly on romantic dramas and comedies, and television miniseries; similar to the original format of sister network, AMC, the channel initially broadcast its films commercial-free.
Format change as We TV (2001–2014)
This format was abandoned on January 1, 2001, when the channel was relaunched as WE: Women's Entertainment, taking on an ad-supported general entertainment format. In 2006, the channel was renamed We TV. The channel aired the first three seasons of the popular Logie Award-winning Australian television series McLeod's Daughters, but dropped the show in April 2006. The channel's format then shifted towards reality shows, with several having topics related to weddings. Other popular shows on the network included Secret Lives of Women, The Locator and Amazing Cakes. In January 2011, We TV confirmed that it had signed Toni Braxton for a reality series, entitled Braxton Family Values, which is marketed as one of the network's flagship shows. To prepare for the network's new show lineup, We TV also gave the network a new logo and marketing tagline: "Life As WE Know It". In March 2012, We TV confirmed that the network had ordered 14 episodes of Kendra on Top, a reality show following the lives of Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett, who previously appeared in the E! reality series Kendra. Kendra said the show focuses on "motherhood, parenthood, and wife hood". Kendra On Top premiered on June 5, 2012.
Rebranding (2014–present)
In June 2014, the network unveiled a new logo, dropping the "Women's Entertainment" tagline. Network president Marc Juris explained that while the network was to remain "a leading destination for women on television and online", the goal of the new branding was to broaden the focus on the word "we" as representing shared experiences, describing it as "a powerful and universal theme which drives connection, conversation, collaboration and community". As part of the rebranding, the network also announced its first original scripted series, The Divide, which was originally pitched for sister network AMC, and was canceled after its first season.
