UPN
Final logo used from 2002 to 2006 | |
| Type | Defunct broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Affiliates | List of former UPN affiliates |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
| Founded | October 27, 1993 (32 years, 139 days) |
| Launched | January 16, 1995 (31 years, 58 days) |
| Founder | United Television (a subsidiary of Chris-Craft Industries) and Paramount Television (a subsidiary of Viacom) |
| Closed | September 15, 2006 (19 years, 181 days) |
| Replaced by | The CW |
| Links | |
| Website | upn.com |
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network. It was founded on October 27, 1993, and launched on January 16, 1995, before closing on September 15, 2006, when it merged with The WB to form The CW.
UPN was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, and Viacom's then-recently acquired subsidiary, Paramount Television (which produced most of UPN's programming), then became solely owned by Viacom in 2000 after subsequently purchasing Chris-Craft's remaining stake. On December 31, 2005, UPN was kept by CBS Corporation, which was the new name for Viacom when it split into two separate companies. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Time Warner jointly announced that the companies would shut down UPN and competitor The WB to launch a new joint venture network later that year. UPN ceased broadcasting on September 15, 2006, with The WB following two days later. Select programs from both networks moved to the new network, The CW, when it launched on September 18, 2006.