until August 31, 2021
Original format The Travel Channel was launched on February 1, 1987; it was founded by TWA Marketing Services (a subsidiary of
Trans World Airlines). The channel's name was derived from the travel-related filler programming that aired between programs on the
Home Theater Network. TWA purchased the name rights from
Group W Satellite Communications in 1986, and took over HTN's transponder spot following the shutdown of the
premium cable channel in January 1987. In 1992, the network was sold to
Landmark Communications, then-owner of
The Weather Channel; five years later, Landmark sold it to
Paxson Communications.
Discovery Communications acquired a 70% ownership stake in the channel in 1997, and subsequently acquired the remaining 30% interest from Paxson in 1999. In May 2007, Discovery Communications sold Travel Channel to
Cox Enterprises subsidiary
Cox Communications as part of a larger multibillion-dollar transaction. On November 5, 2009,
Scripps Networks Interactive acquired a 65% ownership interest in the network for $1.1 billion; the deal closed in January 2010. Following the purchase, Travel Channel began to add programming from sister networks such as
Food Network. In 2015, Scripps relocated the channel's headquarters from Chevy Chase, Maryland to Knoxville, Tennessee. On February 25, 2016, SNI acquired the remaining 35% stake in Travel Channel from Cox Communications, giving it full control over the network. Discovery regained ownership of the network on March 6, 2018, after acquiring SNI. Available data shows that viewership peaked in Spring 2008 at 27.78 million views per 7 days, and has been in decline ever since. As of Spring 2017, the channel got 17.25 million views.
Rebrand On October 1, 2018, Travel Channel revealed a new logo stylized as
Trvl Channel, and
shifted its programming to focus on "the paranormal, the unsolved, the creepy and terrifying". From 2015 to 2017,
Destination America had undergone a similar shift to paranormal programming themselves. Certain Travel Channel shows (such as
Bizarre Foods, its spinoff series
Bizarre Foods Delicious Destinations,
Man v. Food,
Food Paradise,
Hotel Impossible, and
Xtreme Waterparks) would move to either
Destination America or
Cooking Channel. On January 12, 2021, it was reported that there were plans for selected Travel Channel programs to premiere exclusively on
Discovery+ as timed exclusives. ==Programming==