The Wii Network

The Wii Network was an American English-language commercial broadcast television network controlled by Nintendo by a 75-percent controlling stake and owned by Tribune Broadcasting through a 25-percent ownership stake. The network was known for being the first and only broadcast television network to be based on a video game console.

History
On April 21, 2007, following the success and popularity of the Wii video game console, Nintendo announced that a new television network based on the console would be launched that year. That day, Tribune Broadcasting (formerly co-owner of The WB) announced to purchase a 25% stake of the channel, and Nintendo had approved the purchase.

On May 2, 2007, Nintendo announced that the name of the network would be "Wii TV". The name had created confusion with a small number of people and viewers, due to similarities to the women-oriented channel We TV.

Wii TV was launched on August 1, 2007 at 8:00 p.m., with the day's schedule featuring a launch special of the network produced by Nintendo of America at their Redmond headquarters.

On January 11, 2008, Nintendo announced that Wii TV had changed its name to The Wii Network, citing confusion and similar-sounding nature with the cable channel We TV. While most stations were not familiar with the change,

In April 2013, Nintendo announced that it will discontinue the services and operations of The Wii Network on June 11, more than two weeks before the discontinuation of WiiConnect24 services. Following this announcement, stations affiliated with the network had plans to switch affiliations with other networks, such as The CW, MyNetworkTV, or become independent. The network officially shut down its operations that day at midnight, following a farewell special of the network.

Affiliates
Main articles: List of The Wii Network affiliates (table) and List of The Wii Network affiliates (by U.S. state)

The Wii Network had more than 140 affiliate stations (including its former affiliates) in the United States before its shutdown in 2013.