Bravo (television network)
For information on the unrelated British television channel of the same name, see Bravo (television channel).Bravo is a
cable television network owned by
NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 70 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film, drama, and the performing arts when it launched in December
1980. Bravo's programming schedule includes feature films (primarily from the
Universal catalogue). Bravo also airs reruns of series from parent network
NBC (including
The Restaurant and
The West Wing), and produces original
reality content (including
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,
Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies,
Boy Meets Boy,
Blow Out,
Work Out,
Project Greenlight,
Celebrity Poker Showdown,
Project Runway,
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,
Party/Party, "Situation: Comedy", Showdog Moms & Dads, and Showbiz Moms and Dads'',).
Bravo TV was originally a service of
Cablevision's
Rainbow Media. In 2001,
MGM Studios had a 20% stake in the channel. In 2002, it was acquired by
NBC. Today, it is owned by
NBC Universal. Its corporate offices are at
Rockefeller Center in
New York. Other cable networks owned by
NBC Universal include:
CNBC,
MSNBC,
mun2,
Sci-Fi Channel,
ShopNBC,
Telemundo,
Sleuth TV,
Universal HD and
USA Network, as well as some partial ownership of international cable channels such as
CNBC World,
CNBC Europe and
CNBC Asia Pacific.
According to NBC Universal's Bravo fact sheet, "Bravo is the cable network that plugs people into arts, culture and pop culture with original programming, movies and by showing a whole different side of celebrities.". They cultivate an arts and pop culture focused image including original
niche reality programs. Their new
positioning statement, "Watch what happens," is a reference to the network's current focus on original reality programming.
Bravo's
target audience is age 25-54, affluent, educated and tech-savvy males and females with high levels of disposable income and who are open-minded. Bravo's market share of this demographic continues to grow, and according to Bravo's annual programming report, is higher than that of competing networks such as
A&E,
The History Channel,
The Discovery Channel,
Food Network,
HGTV and
The Travel Channel. Their focus on this demographic is apparent from their programming, particularly their reality programs that focus on celebrities, living and home improvement, as well as reruns of programs that play well to this audience. Local and national advertising is appropriate to the target demographic: local advertisers include jewelry shops and computer stores, and national advertisers include computer companies and business services.
According to NBC Universal's Bravo fact sheet, Bravo is currently available in more than 79 million homes. Some sources including Bravo's Programming Highlights for this year put the number at closer to 78 million.
Bravo gives substantial advertising to both their original and off-network programming. Heavily promoted original content includes
Inside the Actors Studio,
Great Things about being…, Top Chef, and
Celebrity Poker Showdown. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, which Bravo now produces in-house, was once an example of the off-network shows aired by Bravo, such as
The West Wing. Much of Bravo's success in differentiating itself from other cable channels has been in its ability to maintain a balance of original and classic series.
Bravo utilizes
block programming for both new shows and successful existing ones. Bravo has also had great success with programming franchises. These include their "100 Greatest..." TV and film retrospectives, based upon the concept of
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies;
Project Greenlight and
Project Runway;
Showbiz Moms and Dads and
Showdog Moms and Dads, ;
Party/Party and a handful of successful gay-themed dating and reality shows (i.e. Queer Eye, Project Runway, which contains several gay contestants, and Workout, which features a lesbian) a niche which had yet to be filled by the reality-heavy networks.
Bravo has also launched an
HDTV network called Bravo HD+ (now Universal HD). This network is not an HDTV simulcast, but rather has its own schedule and programming.
Adult swim's series
Robot Chicken did a sketch about Bravo's reinvention, introducing the fake show "Ass-Pirates of the Caribbean", about an all-gay pirate ship. It ended with the tagline "Bravo: somewhere along the line, we got really gay!"
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Official Site
