As MuchMusic USA The channel originally launched on July 1, 1994, as
MuchMusic USA; it was founded as a
joint venture between Rainbow Media (currently known as
AMC Networks), a division of New York–based
Cablevision and
Toronto-based
CHUM Limited. CHUM would later sell its 50% stake in the network to Cablevision in 2000, but allowed the continued use of the "MuchMusic" name under a
brand licensing agreement. The channel suffered from a lack of carriage; outside of Cablevision's own systems and others (such as the now-defunct
PrimeStar), not many providers carried the network. Beginning in 1996, Rainbow began an effort to add U.S-produced original programming and music video blocks to the network. Certain Cablevision systems in major markets also experimented with locally oriented music countdown shows, typically produced in cooperation with a local radio station (such as Cablevision's Boston system producing the
MuchMusic Boston Countdown together with radio station
WFNX). In 1998, the network also began to be included in a sub-unit of Rainbow focused upon live pay-per-view events taking place at New York's world-famous
Radio City Music Hall and
Madison Square Garden (both also owned by Cablevision's founding Dolan family),
Radio City Networks. By 2001, MuchMusic USA began to diverge from its Canadian parent; it introduced a new logo identifying itself as
MMUSA, and began to air its own original programming and music video blocks, often featuring user-submitted videos; the network's new direction centered around viewer interactivity via the Internet, with the "mmusa.tv" website being the focal point of the interaction. Carriage of the network began to expand with the rise of
digital cable, with
Time Warner Cable and
Comcast beginning to carry the channel around this time.
As Fuse 2003–2013 across from
Madison Square Garden. After CHUM revoked its licensing agreement for the U.S. channel to use the MuchMusic brand, Cablevision and Time Warner announced that it would relaunch MMUSA as
Fuse in 2003; Fuse would officially relaunch on May 19, 2003, featuring more music centric shows like the
IMX (TV series), the
Uranium (TV series), and
Kung Faux. Fuse's advertising during this launch period, by New York–based
Amalgamated, indirectly bashed the Paramount-owned
MTV with a slogan touting Fuse as the channel "where the music went" generating controversy both through its criticism of MTV, and through its parodies, particularly that of the
iPod ad campaign and
Viacom, the corporate owner of MTV and, for a short while, the former owner of many of Fuse's current sister properties, protested when a Fuse billboard appeared across from its headquarters featuring
Sally Struthers' plea to "save the music video". In 2008, Fuse became the exclusive television partner for some major music events, including signing a three-year deal to air the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. In April 2010,
Cablevision's
MSG unit, including Fuse, was spun off as a separate publicly traded company,
The Madison Square Garden Company. On June 20, 2010, Fuse simulcast the
2010 MuchMusic Video Awards, marking its first broadcast of MuchMusic programming since its relaunch. Other MuchMusic programming would return in 2011, including
The Wedge and
Video on Trial (which would also gain an American version).
Blink-182 and former
+44 singer/bassist
Mark Hoppus began hosting his own weekly television series on Fuse that year, titled
Hoppus on Music. On June 28, 2011,
Vevo and Fuse entered into a video syndication and content partnership. As part of the partnership, Fuse.tv syndicates Vevo's music video and entertainment programming, including exclusive music video premieres, live music events, and originally produced series. In the fall of 2012, Fuse refocused itself with a new on-air branding campaign created by design agency LoyalKaspar, with its website now featuring trending music news stories. That winter, Fuse launched a
mobile app for
Android and
iOS devices. In November 2012, Fuse announced the launch of
Fuse News, a daily news update program which debuted in February 2013.
2013–2019 In March 2013, anonymous sources leaked news that MSG was planning to sell all or part of Fuse, as the network had been struggling, and was facing growing competition from digital outlets. On April 4, 2014, MSG and SiTV Media, the parent company of the Latino-oriented entertainment network
NuvoTV, announced that SiTV would acquire Fuse for $226 million. SiTV outbid rival network
Revolt, which had made a $200 million offer to acquire Fuse. As part of the deal, the Madison Square Garden Company would take a 15% stake in SiTV. Prior to the official announcement,
Benny Medina (manager of
Jennifer Lopez, the network's chief creative officer) stated that if SiTV were to acquire Fuse, there were no immediate plans to make any major changes to the network's programming, emphasizing that Fuse and NuvoTV would be "two different companies with two different identities, audiences and goals". However, on May 1,
Fuse News was cancelled with immediate effect, with the entire staff let go, along with other cuts throughout the network. The acquisition was completed on July 1, 2014. In March 2015, Fuse announced it would expand beyond music programming and merge with NuvoTV. A new programming slate was announced, including
White Guy Talk Show, a
late-night talk show hosted by
Grace Parra and Saurin Choksi, which debuted on March 2, 2015; and, debuting on April 9,
Skee TV, hosted by
DJ Skee, featuring interviews and live performances. In addition, the newly rebranded parent company, Fuse Media, announced the launch of a new music channel focusing on "up-and-coming, young, diverse talent". In April 2015, Fuse became the exclusive broadcaster of
Legends Football League games in the United States. On July 31, 2015, Fuse announced they would relaunch with a new logo and branding on September 30, 2015. In addition to new series such as
Transcendent, which documents the lives of
transgender women at AsiaSF Cabaret & Restaurant in San Francisco, and
Revealed, which features music videos, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage of artists at work, Fuse announced a multi-year partnership with comedian
Gabriel Iglesias for additional new programming and comedy specials. In November 2017, a partnership between
Complex and Fuse was announced in which Fuse will air a block of Complex digital series under the
Complex x Fuse banner. The block premiered on November 10, 2017. Towards the end of 2018, both
Comcast and
Verizon announced that Fuse and FM would be dropped from
Xfinity and
Fios on January 1, 2019, reasoning that the networks' lack of viewership and Fuse's
channel drift towards a sitcom and film repeat-heavy lineup did not justify continued carriage of the networks. Then-Fuse Media CEO Michael Schwimmer made the claim the networks were being dropped as Comcast's
Department of Justice consent decree for their acquisition was relaxed regarding channel diversity and a commitment to independent channel operators, giving them an out from carrying the network. In reality, the decree remains in full effect and Fuse's
de facto replacement,
TV One sister network
Cleo TV, launched broadly on Comcast systems on January 19 under the same decree. In April 2019, Fuse's parent company, Fuse Media, filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing its lost coverage on Comcast and Verizon systems, as well as defaulting on a loan. On September 3, 2019, a Fuse-branded channel was launched on
Pluto TV.
Since 2020 On November 19, 2020, current Fuse Media CEO Miguel Roggero and a "Latino-led management group" announced that they have
acquired majority interest in the company. In March 2021, Fuse Media announced the launch of a new streaming division, merging the network's website, social media, and digital video outlets with new branded free ad-supported television (FAST) channels. That summer, Fuse Media launched a
subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, "Fuse+", in beta. In December 2021, Comcast reached a renewed carriage agreement with Fuse Media, bringing Fuse and FM back to its cable service after 3 years, and also extending distribution of Fuse+ to its X1 and Flex
set-top boxes. In 2024, Fuse became the exclusive English language outlet for American-Hispanic
MMA promotion
Combate Global. In addition, Combate Global's library content would begin streaming on the company's
El Rey Rebel
FAST channel. Fuse's Pacific time zone feed is expected to close on August 25, 2025. ==Programming==