Empty subchannels, filled with networks that pay
Most TV stations have room on their signal for more channels than they air. We represent more than 400 of them. Here is what that space looks like, how a carriage deal fills it, and where the stations are.
One signal, several channels
A TV station's broadcast signal carries more than one channel. Channel 4.1 is the station's own. Everything after the dot is a subchannel, and plenty of stations have one or two sitting empty.
Those empty slots are what we fill. Each one can carry a national network, from classic TV to news to shopping, under an agreement that pays the station for the space.
Example lineup. Every station's is different.
How a carriage deal comes together
Four parties, one agreement.
01 The network
A network wants antenna homes.
Diginets earn from advertising or, for shopping networks, from sales, so every market without a channel is audience they can't reach. To get on the air in, say, Houston, they need a station there willing to carry their feed.
02 Spectrum Solutions
We find the station and write the deal.
We match the network with stations that have an open subchannel, then negotiate the terms: a flat monthly rate or a revenue share, the length of the term, the channel number, and how either side gets out.
03 The station
The station turns on the feed.
A single 6 MHz broadcast channel has room for several standard-definition feeds. The station adds the network to an open slot and gets paid for capacity that was going unused.
04 The viewer
A new channel shows up for free.
Anyone with an antenna rescans and finds the network sitting at 4.3 or 22.5. No subscription, no app, no monthly bill.
Where the stations are
More than 400 TV stations, from New York to Juneau. Hover a market to see its numbers.
All markets
Networks and the groups behind them
Select any logo for details.
Network names and logos are trademarks of their owners and are shown to identify the networks.
Common questions about diginet carriage
What is a diginet?
A diginet is a national TV network built to air on a broadcast station's digital subchannels, the channels after the dot like 4.2 or 22.5. Viewers watch it free with an antenna.
How does a TV station earn money from a subchannel?
The network pays the station to carry its feed, usually as a flat monthly rate or a share of revenue. The station supplies the subchannel and the transmission. We find the network and negotiate the agreement.
My station has an empty subchannel. How do I find a network for it?
Send us your call letters and market. We know which networks are looking for carriage in your area, and we handle the deal from first offer to signed agreement.
We run a network. Can you get us carriage in new markets?
Yes. We represent more than 400 TV stations across the US, so we can match your network with stations that have open subchannels in the markets you are missing.
What does a carriage agreement cover?
The rate and how it is paid, the length of the term, the channel number, and how either side can end the agreement.
Have an open subchannel, or need one?
Send us your call letters and market, or your network name, and we will tell you what is possible.
Prefer the phone? Call Tom Fawbush at (502) 396-5448 or Jonathan Enget at (701) 870-0919.