Dr. Phil McGraw’s new media venture Envoy TV has reached a national distribution deal with Charter Communications that will see the network offered on Spectrum TV across the country, the two businesses announced on Monday.
The new deal ensures Envoy TV will be carried in millions of subscriber households across Charter’s 41-state footprint, including major markets such as New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas-Fort Worth, as part of Spectrum’s TV Select package. The partnership gives McGraw’s new media venture an immediate national platform as it seeks to establish itself after the collapse of his previous channel, Merit Street Media.
“I’m thrilled to be putting on the Charter team jersey and launching our new flagship Envoy TV network with my friends at the nation’s leading cable and broadband provider,” McGraw said. “I love how Charter’s entertainment experience lives seamlessly across every subscriber screen and device; it’s a game changer in improving the lives of American consumers. Their dedication to relentless innovation makes Charter the perfect launchpad for Envoy TV’s ‘particivision’ approach in immersively entertaining, informing and impacting national audiences. I can’t wait to get started.”
Envoy TV will offer much of the same style of programming that Merit Street Media did, including daily breaking news coverage and new broadcasts of Dr. Phil’s flagship talk show in prime-time.
“Dr. Phil is a leading and iconic voice in television with a large fan base, and bringing his network to our lineup further expands the entertainment choices available to Spectrum customers at an exceptional value,” said Tom Montemagno, Executive Vice President, Programming Acquisition for Charter. “Envoy TV’s addition enhances our Seamless Entertainment experience, which combines live TV with popular streaming services at no additional cost, reinforcing our position as a premier destination for viewers.”
Envoy Media Co., the parent of Envoy TV, will also operate a digital app that houses McGraw’s podcasts and talk programs alongside content produced by independent and community-based creators. Comedian Steve Harvey will develop original shows for the venture, and reruns of his former daytime talk show “Steve” are slated to air on the linear channel.
“As always, my commitment and that of the Envoy network team is to focus on real people, facing real challenges, seeking real solutions,” McGraw said. “By talking about things that matter to people who care, presenting facts, encouraging people to think critically, they can make up their own minds. Our disruptive technology will engage Envoy viewers at an unprecedented level in real time.”
The launch of Envoy comes just months after McGraw’s prior network, Merit Street Media, filed for bankruptcy amid a dispute with its majority owner, Trinity Broadcasting Network. Trinity had supplied production facilities and held an equity stake in the channel, which McGraw originally described as an outlet for “flyover state” audiences overlooked by larger national media.
“What people are focused on in this world today is pretty divisive,” McGraw said earlier this year. “But you cannot remain silent, just so others can remain comfortable. We’re letting all sides come and talk about what they want to talk about, and we’re appealing to the heartland of America.”
Merit Street’s distribution footprint reached broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, though its Nielsen ratings never exceeded a few thousand daily viewers. Still, McGraw said the experience reinforced his belief that audiences want “real conversations” and practical content — principles he now intends to carry forward through Envoy Media.
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