| Outdoor Channel | |
| Launch Date: | April 1, 1994 |
| Country: | United States Canada |
| Area: | United States Canada Europe Middle East Asia Africa Australia |
| Headquarters: | Denver, Colorado |
| Owner: | Outdoor Sportsman Group (Kroenke Sports & Entertainment) Rock Entertainment Holdings AMC Networks International (EMEA region distributor) |
| Picture Format: | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed) |
| Closed Date: | January 1, 2019 (Malaysia) July 1, 2021 (Turkey) August 1, 2021 (EMEA) |
| Former Names: | The Outdoor Channel (1994–2007) |
| Sister Channels: | Sportsman Channel World Fishing Network Altitude |
| Terr Serv 1: | Digital terrestrial television (United States) |
| Terr Chan 1: | Channel 6.7 (Alexandria, Minnesota) |
| Online Serv 1: | Service(s) |
| Online Chan 1: | 7plus, DirecTV Stream, Frndly TV, FuboTV, Sling TV |
Outdoor Channel is an American pay television channel focused on the outdoors, offering programming that includes hunting, fishing, western lifestyle, off-road motorsports and adventure. It was launched on April Fool's Day (April 1st) 1994. The network can be viewed on multiple platforms including high definition, video on demand as well as on its own website. In 2013, Outdoor Channel was acquired by Kroenke Sports Enterprises.[1]
, Outdoor Channel is available to approximately 17,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2016 peak of 40,000,000 households.[2] In December 2013, the Outdoor Channel was planned to relocate to Colorado from its current location of Temecula, California, supported by Colorado Economic Development Commission.[3]
In March 2019, the channel became available in Australia via the ad-supported streaming service 7plus.[4]
On January 1, 2019, Outdoor Channel ceased broadcasting in Malaysia due to low popularity, then relaunch in March 2021 on different TV provider, Sirius TV. On August 1, 2021, Outdoor Channel ceased broadcasting in EMEA.
The programming in Asia is fairly different from the U.S. and it has lesser hunting content and more travel and adventure series.
The most popular survival series are Running Wild with Bear Grylls, Beyond Survival with Les Stroud, Could You Survive, and So You Think You Could Survive.
In April 2022, Outdoor Channel had partnered with Water Bear Network on the Earth Day to bring in some exclusive environmental protection content in Asia.
It also aired various ocean documentaries like A Plastic Ocean, Ocean Secrets and Ocean Plastic Cleanup Trainee.
The network's primetime lineup is themed with each evening; fishing is featured on Mondays, with hunting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, gun-specific programming on Wednesdays, and Hollywood films on Friday and Saturday nights.
An HD feed of the channel was launched in 2004, with the name of Outdoor Channel 2 HD; it used to broadcast different programming in contrast with the SD channel, until it turned into a simulcast feed and rebranded simply to "Outdoor Channel HD". It currently broadcasts at 1080i and it is carried by most subscription providers. It was the first outdoor pay-TV network in June 2010 to offer a schedule solely made up of HD-filmed content.[5]
Outdoor Channel mobilized 2,500 volunteers in September 2010 as part of its Conservation Tour of Duty for its Outdoor Channel Corps initiative. It is a philanthropic program that aims to improve public lands and spaces in order to ensure that the outdoor lifestyle thrives in America.[6] Timed around National Public Lands Day, Outdoor Channel Corps deployed volunteers to a total of eight sites, where the network worked on restoration and improvement projects with partners and affiliates like Comcast, Time Warner, Boy Scouts of America, and the National Park Service.[7]