After a period of new programming and ratings increases to boot, Sinclair has decided to rebrand its comedy-filled multicast television network.
Starting April 28, TBD becomes Roar (stylized as ROAR), with the new name intending to complete ” the network’s shift to broadcasting ground-breaking comedy franchises that deliver the funniest, most memorable, uproarious humor on TV,” Sinclair said in a statement on Monday.
“The launch of Roar marks the completion of a plan we set in motion 14 months ago—to position the network as a clear alternative to the traditional sitcom-based multicast networks by broadcasting live, audience based, comedy franchises,” Adam Ware, the Senior Vice President of Growth Networks at Sinclair, said in a statement. “The new identity truly reflects the network’s energy and ambition for audiences and advertisers alike.”
TBD originally launched in 2010 as an extension of a local news website focused on the Washington, D.C. area and operated by Allbritton Communications, then the parent company of WJLA (Channel 7, ABC). It was available on cable TV in Washington and the surrounding area and via an online stream — something few news channels did at the time.
SInclair acquired Allbritton Communications in 2014, and brought TBD under its wing, relaunching it into an around-the-clock multicast networks with programs that highlighted user-generated content, much of it found on YouTube and social media.
The format was modeled off a TV network that was wildly successful in Europe, but never found much of a footing in the United States. Over time, Sinclair lessened its reliance on user-generated content and shifted TBD into a comedy channel, with re-runs of shows like “Fear Factor,” and “World’s Dumbest” filling out its schedule.
Over the past two years, Sinclair has made a number of subtle but powerful changes to the network, to include updating its logo and brand identity, dropping the rest of the user-generated content shows and filling out TBD’s schedule with sketch comedy programs.
In a prior conversation with The Desk, Ware said TBD’s programming — which today includes shows like “Key & Peele” and “Whose Line is it Anyway?” — was intended to deliver comedy where viewers could expect the unexpected.
Its biggest syndication deal occurred last year when TBD became the first broadcast network beyond NBC to offer re-runs of “Saturday Night Live,” with episodes edited for time (each runs about 60 minutes with commercials).
In addition to its programming and brand identity refreshes, Sinclair has been focused on forging new distribution deals that have moved TBD to more-prized real estate on the broadcast dial. Many Fox-owned TV stations now offer TBD on one of their digital sub-channels, putting the network in closer proximity to Fox programming when viewers move down the dial and other major networks like ABC, CBS and NBC when viewers go up.
So far, the distribution and programming strategy has worked, with TBD seeing viewership growth based on its own programming and what is offered by its carrier station.
Earlier this year, when Fox aired the NFC Championship football game, TBD programmed a block of Saturday Night Live re-runs that were hosted by athletes or had some other nexus to sports. In four key markets where TBD is offered by a Fox-owned carrier station — including New York and Chicago — TBD saw a 229 percent lift in viewership in the first hour after the game ended compared to the preceding hour, according to Nielsen data viewed by The Desk.
Similarly, after Super Bowl LIX — which also aired on Fox — TBD decided to program a block of Saturday Night Live re-runs that included an episode with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce serving as host, and another episode featuring musical guest Kendrick Lamar — both of whom made appearances during the championship NFL game. During the NFL’s pre-game coverage, TBD’s viewership was 96 percent higher than its January average, and in New York, TBD saw a 168 percent lift in viewership.
Sports aside, TBD has found success in leaning on other special events to make its network a destination for comedy fans who want more. In the days leading up to NBC’s Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary show, TBD aired a 50-hour marathon block of the sketch comedy show, which resulted in 3.2 million total viewers, according to Nielsen ratings. Viewership of the network was 148 percent higher among all audiences over the age of two, and 62 percent higher in the key demographic of adults between the ages of 25 and 54 years old.
February was the highest-rated month for TBD ever, Sinclair said in a press release, citing Nielsen data. With its transition to Roar, the company will be able to continue building out its programming and distribution strategy, which may also include a slight shift to incorporate more comedy programming beyond sketch shows and reality-based series.
Roar reaches 90 percent of the American TV audience via over-the-air broadcast, and can also be found on a handful of pay TV platforms, including YouTube TV. Viewers can find their local TBD — soon Roar — affiliate by visiting WatchRoar.com.
