As FamilyNet The channel was acquired by
InTouch Ministries in October 2007 from the
Southern Baptist Convention. In December 2009, FamilyNet was acquired by
Robert A. Schuller's ComStar Media Fund. In 2010, FamilyNet was spun out into its own company, with Robert A. Schuller as the chairman. The organization also operated FamilyNet Radio 161, a full-time Christian talk channel on
Sirius Satellite Radio, but was discontinued on November 30, 2010;
FamilyTalk replaced it. From 2011 to 2012, the channel showed sitcoms like
The Bob Newhart Show,
Newhart, and
Mr. Belvedere. On October 24, 2012,
Rural TV purchased FamilyNet, and the transaction took effect on January 1, 2013. At first the network was used to carry an all-trading day format of farm and market news, which eventually moved to a reduced timeslot on RFD-TV due to low interest and ratings. Rural Media, which had considered merging RFD-TV and FamilyNet together to gain over-the-air carriage, eventually decided to keep FamilyNet as a separate service, but with a refocus in programming towards classic television programming which was not picked up by competitors
MeTV,
Antenna TV and
Cozi TV. Rural Media also decided not to renew over-the-air contracts with stations in a slow process in order to make it a cable-only network. A number of former FamilyNet affiliates (mainly religious stations) continue to carry programming recorded from the network's feed before the Rural TV sale, seemingly under a perpetual license. In September 2014, FamilyNet was refocused with classic television series and films from the
Sony Pictures Television libraries, with Sony also assisting with advertising sales. Religious programming, which used to make up the vast majority of the schedule under SBC and Schuller's ownership, was limited to Sunday mornings, though Rural Media also maintained FamilyNet's
paid programming overnights despite their executives' traditional disdain for depending on those programs for revenue. (RFD-TV since also began to carry overnight paid programming.)
As The Cowboy Channel On June 19, 2017, Rural Media Group CEO
Patrick Gottsch announced that on July 1, FamilyNet would be rebranded as The Cowboy Channel, featuring a focus on Western sports and rodeo events, which had proven to be a popular attraction on RFD-TV. Gottsch thanked Sony Pictures Television for bringing the network to a solid footing, but noted that overwhelming competition in the classic television space from networks such as
MeTV,
Antenna TV,
Cozi TV,
Heroes & Icons and several other networks and streaming options had made the space more competitive and crowded, while a Western sports network was seen as a unique opportunity to stand out in cable and satellite lineups. Among the network's first offerings were encore events from RFD's
The American Rodeo, the
Calgary Stampede, and the
Professional Bull Riders (PBR) archives. Sony's archived programming thus moved to their own
GetTV at the start of 2018. The Cowboy Channel signed a multi-year agreement with the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) to televise and stream their major events, including the
National Finals Rodeo (NFR), starting in 2020. With the network conversion, Rural Media used the change in format as a contractual opportunity to terminate its remaining over-the-air affiliations to launch The Cowboy Channel as a pay-TV only offering. A
Canadian version of the channel was launched on February 1, 2020, on Shaw Direct television systems through a partnership with Rural Media. On May 15, 2020, the
Cowboy Channel+ app was launched. It streams live and past PRCA rodeos, as well as other western-related programming for a monthly or annual subscription fee. On March 16, 2026, it was renamed simply
Cowboy+. The Cowgirl Channel was launched on March 1, 2023. It specialized in programming about women in professional rodeo, western fashion, and rural lifestyles in general through the perspectives of women. It also televised rodeos that were not aired on The Cowboy Channel. The Cowgirl Channel officially seized operations on November 15, 2025. In 2023, The Cowboy Channel signed a multi-year agreement with the
Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) to televise and stream their major events, including the
Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) through December 31, 2027.
The Cowboy Channel Canada also televises these events. Patrick Gottsch, the founder and president of Rural Media Group, died on May 18, 2024, at the age of 70. He was succeeded in leadership of Rural Media Group by his two eldest daughters, Raquel Gottsch Koehler and Gatsby Gottsch Solheim. ==Programming==