until its closure in 2019 and for the
IFC Films label until 2025. Still used for the
IFC Center. The channel debuted on September 1, 1994, under the ownership of
Rainbow Media, a subsidiary of
Cablevision Systems Corporation. IFC originated as a spin-off of then-sibling channel
Bravo, which focused at that time on a wider variety of programming, including shows related to
fine arts. In 2000, IFC launched a
motion picture division. In 2005, IFC expanded into its first non-television venture and opened the
IFC Center, a movie theater for independent film in New York City. In 2008, IFC launched its Media Lab Studios, a section of its website on which users can enter IFC-sponsored film contests, and can view others' films. In 2008, Rainbow Media acquired IFC's rival network,
Sundance Channel, from
Robert Redford and
Showtime Networks. Towards the end of the decade, IFC began to expand its programming beyond independent films, producing original series and acquiring
cult television series. In March 2010, IFC unveiled a new slogan, "Always on. Slightly off.", reflecting the channel's new focus on comedy programming. On December 8, IFC began airing commercials within its programming, a move that sparked controversy among its viewers, and would also begin to censor its programming. IFC eventually reversed its censorship practices and started to air its programming uncut; publicly trumpeting this fact in 2012 by releasing ads featuring showings of back-to-back blocks of movies like the
Friday the 13th film series, highlighting the nudity and gore. On July 1, 2011, Rainbow Media was
spun off from Cablevision into a separate company, which was renamed
AMC Networks.
2012 Dish Network carriage dispute On May 4, 2012,
Dish Network announced that it would no longer carry the AMC Networks family of cable channels upon the expiration of the satellite provider's distribution agreement with the company at the end of June 2012, citing that AMC Networks charged an excessive amount in
retransmission consent payments from the service for their carriage and low audience viewership for the channels. AMC Networks responded to Dish Network's announcement of its pending removal of the channels as being related to a 2008
breach of contract lawsuit against Dish Network by the company's former
Voom HD Networks subsidiary (under the company's previous Rainbow Media Holdings brand) (which is pending trial in the New York State Supreme Court), in which it is seeking more than $2.5 billion in damages against Dish Network for improperly terminating its carriage contract; Voom's high-definition channels were carried on the provider from May 1, 2005, until May 12, 2008, when Dish removed ten of Voom's fifteen channels from its lineup and the five remaining channels the following day. Dish Network stated that the lawsuit is unrelated to the decision to remove the AMC Networks channels and that it ended the carriage agreement on its own terms. On July 1, 2012, Dish Network dropped AMC, WEtv, and IFC from the channel line-up altogether. On October 21, 2012, AMC Networks announced a settlement was reached between them, Cablevision and Dish in which Dish was forced to pay up to $700 million in damages to Cablevision for damages from removing Voom owned channels off the Dish lineup back in 2008, and in return Dish signed a new agreement to bring the AMC Networks owned channels back on the Dish lineup with AMC returning October 21 and the rest on November 1.
Recent history On January 9, 2014, it was announced that the channel's full name had been retired, and that the name IFC would
officially have no meaning. On November 15, 2016, AMC Networks acquired a minority stake in comedy video website and film and television production company
Funny or Die, with plans to integrate it with IFC. On April 27, 2018, the company later acquired a majority stake in comedy venue operator Levity Live. In February 2025,
AMC Networks reported a $269 million domestic impairment charge related to its portfolio of U.S. cable networks, including IFC Films, citing an industry-wide decline in the value of traditional linear television assets. In May 2025, as part of its 25th anniversary preparations, IFC Films unveiled a new logo incorporating the full name Independent Film Company, along with a custom sonic logo created by
Adam Ad-Rock Horovitz of the
Beastie Boys. ==Programming==