VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and the original owner of MTV, and launched on January 1, 1985, in the former space of Turner Broadcasting System's short-lived Cable Music Channel. The channel is owned by Paramount Global (formerly Viacom and ViacomCBS).
The VH1 Logo used since 2016, wordmark logo originally used a few years prior | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CBS Entertainment Group (Paramount Global) |
| Parent | BET Networks |
| Sister channels | List
|
| History | |
| Launched | January 1, 1985 |
| Replaced | Cable Music Channel |
| Former names | VH-1/VH-1: Video Hits One 1985–1994 VH1: Music First 1994–2003 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Sling TV, Philo, YouTube TV, Vidgo TV, FuboTV, Hulu | Internet Protocol television |
The channel was originally conceived to build upon the success of then-sister channel MTV by playing music videos targeting a slightly older demographic and focusing on the lighter, softer side of popular music. Like MTV, VH1 ultimately drifted away from music videos and into reality television programming, albeit with a focus on music personalities and celebrities, and shows targeting African American audiences. VH1 is best known for franchises such as Behind the Music, the I Love… series, the Celebreality block, Love & Hip Hop, and RuPaul's Drag Race.
As of July 2023, approximately 90.2 million US households received VH1.