Ion Television

Ion Television, often just called Ion, is an American television network that began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, originally as Pax TV. It started by showing family-friendly shows but later changed its name to i: Independent Television in 2005 and finally to Ion Television in 2007. Over the years, Ion has become known for airing reruns of popular TV dramas and occasional movies, especially during the Christmas season.

The network has also shown sports events, including women's basketball and soccer, under its parent company, Scripps Networks. Ion reaches most of the United States through its own stations and partnerships with other TV providers. You can find Ion on traditional cable, satellite TV, and streaming services.

Because of how its stations are set up, Ion can cover a large part of the country—more than any other station group in America. This is possible because its stations use a specific type of signal that allows them to avoid some usual rules about coverage areas.

History

The network started in 1998 as Pax TV, created by Bud Paxson. He wanted a family-friendly channel different from others at the time. It showed shows for families, including some old favorites and new programs.

In 2005, it changed its name to i: Independent Television, focusing more on reruns of older shows. By 2007, it became Ion Television. Today, Ion Television shows a mix of older TV shows, movies, and special programming for families, aiming to entertain viewers of all ages.

Programming

Main article: List of programs broadcast by Ion Television

Ion Television offers a variety of entertainment shows every day from early morning until early morning. On Fridays outside of the holiday season, programming starts a bit later. There is a special block of shows for kids called Xploration Station from Steve Rotfeld Productions that airs on Friday mornings.

Most of the shows on Ion Television come from big companies like NBCUniversal Syndication Studios, Disney–ABC Domestic Television, CBS Media Ventures, and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Ion also has deals to show movies from Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Studios, and Warner Bros. Pictures. The shows include dramas like Criminal Minds, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Blue Bloods.

Ion Television also shows older movies from the 1980s and 1990s on Sunday. Sometimes, they add short segments during movies to tell viewers about products.

In the past, Ion Television showed some comedy shows, but now they focus mostly on dramas. The network runs long blocks of shows, sometimes airing the same show many times in a row.

Ion Television’s way of showing shows is similar to how some TV channels work in other countries. Instead of making their own shows, they get programs from other places to fill their schedule.

Affiliates

Main articles: List of Ion Television affiliates and List of stations owned and operated by Ion Media

As of October 2020, Ion Television has 64 stations it owns, with agreements to add nine more stations in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The network reaches about 60% of households in the United States, making it the network with the most owned stations of any commercial TV network in the country.

Ion Television's programming is usually available through a national feed sent to TV providers in areas without a local Ion station. In some places, DirecTV shows a version of this national feed. In markets with an Ion station, you might see a small note on the screen once an hour showing the station's name and location.

Related services

Multiplexing

Ion Television’s stations use a method called “multiplexing” to split their digital broadcast signal into separate channels. Most of these stations carry up to six different channels, more than most other stations. Because of this, only the main Ion channel is shown in high definition. Some stations share space with other broadcasters.

Subchannels

Qubo

Qubo was a children’s television network that started on January 8, 2007. It showed shows for kids ages 2 to 11, with some programs for older teens and adults at night. Qubo stopped broadcasting on February 28, 2021.

Ion Plus

Ion Plus began on February 19, 2007. It started with health and lifestyle shows and movies, and later changed to show full days of one TV series. Ion Plus stopped broadcasting over-the-air on February 28, 2021, but returned on July 1, 2024.

Ion Shop

Ion Shop started in April 2012 and mainly showed commercials. It stopped operations on February 28, 2021.

Ion Mystery

On February 24, 2022, Court TV Mystery was renamed Ion Mystery to better match the types of shows it airs.

QVC Over the Air

Since August 5, 2013, Ion Television has carried the home shopping network QVC on a separate channel. This version uses a different phone number and QR code for purchases.

Home Shopping Network

Starting November 18, 2013, Ion Television also carried the Home Shopping Network on another separate channel. This partnership continues in many places.