Applause (TV network)

Applause is an American premium television channel that serves as the flagship property of owner Applause Networks. Programming on Applause consists of theatrically released motion pictures and first-run original television series. Launched on September 1, 1995, Applause operates nine 24-hour, linear multiplex channels; a traditional subscription video on demand service; and ApplauseGo, an over-the-top streaming platform.

Applause and it's sister networks, Now and TheaterOne, are headquartered in, with satellite office facilities located in and.

Launch and early history
Applause launched on 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 1, 1995 on several systems on the U.S. east coast and a group of cable systems in the  in. Applause was jointly owned by and Cablevision, and was intended as a competitor to, , , ,  and. The channel debuted with an introduction by president James Tonoyan, which was then followed by Applause's first movie telecast, the 1994 film Speed.

Initially, Applause focused on recently-released movies and movies of the prior five years, with some 1980s releases mixed in; the channel used the slogan of "Movies You Can't Ignore" and aggressively promoted upcoming film premieres on the network. The channel had initially broadcast films from (owned by, which ironically is the parent company of rival pay services HBO and Cinemax), /, ,  (which, ironically, was owned by competing networks Showtime and The Movie Channel's then-parent company Viacom),  and /.

Applause implemented the standard United States pay television content advisory system upon launch, and also used the system to provide recommendations and advice for viewers.

On January 1, 1997, Applause launched Now, a new set of channels that broadcast an even mix of recent and classic movies along with acquired programming.

2000s onwards
On October 11, 2001, Belo acquired Cablevision's stake in Applause.

On June 13, 2013, announced plans to buy Belo for $1.5 billion and the assumption of debt. On June 18, Belo announced it would divest Applause, Now and TheaterOne to Applause Networks, a -based investment group led by private equity investor George Rundle and former Applause president James Tonoyan with additional funding from. The sale was completed on August 5, 2013.

List of channels
Applause currently operates nine 24-hour, linear multiplex channels.

Film library
Applause has an exclusive first-run film licensing agreement with RKO Pictures.

Applause also shows sub-runs (runs of films that have recently received broadcast or syndicated television airings) of theatrical films from, , , , , , , , and.

Television series
Applause expanded its program offerings to include some original television series by the late 1990s with a stable of entertainment news programs and shows that focused on the making of upcoming or current feature films.

Sports programming
In 2002, Applause launched Applause Sports, it's sports division, and Applause Championship Boxing, a boxing telecast series. Applause's first boxing broadcast was the Scott Tumiati vs. Vinnie Proctor heavyweight fight, which was broadcast live from the in.