Getting “Busted”: New multicast network launches
Former Scripps News stations on board
Back in 2020, the fallout from George Floyd’s death led syndicators and cable networks to pull all law enforcement-related programming from the air. A&E canceled Live PD. Syndicated repeats of Cops and Live PD: Police Patrol were pulled. Texas even passed a law banning televised police ride-a-longs.
What a difference five years makes.
To say police reality shows have made a comeback would be an understatement, as the genre has returned to prominence despite the controversies surrounding the shows. Cops found new life on Fox Nation. Reelz Channel has a Live PD clone called On Patrol Live. The CW – once known for teen soapy fare such as Gossip Girl, Riverdale, Vampire Diaries, and superhero shows The Flash and Arrow- is now home to new docuseries Police 24/7. You also have several FAST channels devoted to specific shows, including Cops and Rescue 911.
The latest multicast network to emerge from this genre is Busted, a new channel launched Saturday, heavy with reruns of Cops Reloaded (the most recent syndicated title of the show), World’s Wildest Police Videos, Jail, Court Cam, Neighborhood Wars, and more. It’s the latest multicast from Free TV Networks, which is headed by Jonathan Katz, who founded Katz Communications and launched Bounce, Laff, and Grit before selling them to Scripps. These shows are not exclusive to Busted; Merit Street Network also began running Cops Reloaded and Jail recently.
“We are thrilled to launch Busted to audiences nationwide [March 1],” said Katz, who is the CEO of Free TV Networks. “With its high-octane lineup, Busted is the only dedicated broadcast channel that takes viewers on real-life ride-along to witness justice in action. With consumers shifting away from cable, Free TV Networks will continue to grow by serving audiences that combine antenna usage with streaming.”
Katz apparently didn’t forget his old friends at Scripps. The broadcaster has cleared the network on Ion’s digital space, marking the first time they signed a deal with a non-Scripps-owned multicaster. Busted is on many dot-six channels (mostly on Ion affiliates) formerly occupied by Scripps News, which shifted full-time to streaming last November, and was temporarily filled by Grit in some markets. The Scripps deal helps give Busted clearance in 90 percent of the country.
Last July, Free TV Networks resurrected the reality-driven Defy with A&E Networks after Scripps bailed on the channel after three years. Defy currently airs reruns of Police Patrol and Live PD Presents: PD Cam. Both could also air on Busted since they are law enforcement series.
Free TV Networks’ other multicast channels are The 365, which targets Black viewers, and The Outlaw, which is Western-themed.