The History Channel, now known as History, is one of the largest television networks, with an audience reach of over 63 million households as of 2023. The channel is mostly famous for its documentaries (mostly focused on history and science) and, lately, reality TV programming.
The History Channel is owned by A&E Television Networks, LLC (A&E Networks) and is the flagship channel of the American broadcasting company.
However, if you delve deeper, you will find that A&E Networks’ (and consequently, the History Channel’s) ownership structure is a complex web.
Below is everything about the History Channel, from its inception to ownership structure and shareholders information.
An overview of the History Channel over the years
The History Channel was launched by A&E Networks on January 1, 1995, with Nickolas Davatzes, the company’s then-CEO, playing a pivotal role in its launch.
A&E Networks had been formed in 1984, about a decade before the launch of the History Channel.
The company was established following the merger of Entertainment Channel (a premium cable channel) and the Alpha Repertory Television Service (ARTS).
The respective owners of the merging companies retained their stakes in the new company. Therefore, A&E Networks shareholders at the time of its formation were:
- Hearst Communications and ABC, which jointly owned ARTS
- Radio City Music Hall (owned by Rockefeller Group) and RCA (previously, NBC’s parent company), which owned the Entertainment Channel.
In 1993, Radio City Music Hall exited the partnership, selling its stake in A&E Networks to the other three partners – Hearst, ABC, and NBC (in place of RCA).
The ownership structure changed again in 1995 when Walt Disney Company acquired ABC in a merger and took over ABC’s stake in A&E networks.
In 2009, A&E Networks acquired Lifetime Entertainment Services, which was then jointly owned by Hearst and Disney.
Following the acquisition, Hearst and Disney’s stake in A&E Networks increased to around 42% each, with NBCUniversal owning the remaining stake (around 16%).
In 2012, Comcast, NBCUniversal’s parent company, sold its stake in A&E Networks to Hearst and Disney, making the two joint owners of the network.
Shareholder structure of the History Channel
The History Channel is owned by A&E Networks, with Hearst Corporation and Walt Disney Company having a 50% stake (each) in the broadcasting company.
Below is a detailed breakdown of the shareholder structure of these two companies:
Disney shareholder structure
Walt Disney is a publicly traded company with shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
A majority of Disney shareholders are institutions which own over 58% of the company’s shares. Some of the most notable institutions include:
- Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Co. – owns 8.571% of the shares.
- BlackRock Advisors LLC – owns 5.145% of the shares
- State Street Corp. -owns 4.285% of the shares.
- Eaton Vance Management LLC – owns 2.216% of the shares.
- Geode Capital Management LLC – owns 2.080% of the shares.
- Fidelity Management & Research Co. LLC – owns 1.898% of the shares.
- State Farm Investment Management Corp. – owns 1.663% of the shares.
- BlackRock Life Ltd. – owns 1.645% of the shares.
- Norges Bank – owns 1.189% of the shares.
- Merrill Lynch International – owns 1.071% of the shares.
Disney’s shareholder structure also comprises individuals, with a few being Disney Insiders (top company executives). Some of the most notable of these shareholders include:
- Robert A Iger – The CEO of Disney
- Amy Chung – a director of the company
- Mary Barra – a director of the company
- Safra Catz – a director of the company
- Calvin McDonald – a director of the company
Apart from institutions and insiders, the Walt Disney Company is also owned by the general public, most of them being unknown individual investors. These individuals hold a stake of around 30% in the company.
Hearst Corporation’s shareholder structure
The Hearst Corporation, which owns a 50% stake in the History Channel’s parent company, is privately owned. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Holdings, Inc., with several interests in the mass media sector.
The Hearst conglomerate was founded by William Randolph Hearst (a newspaper owner) in 1887. Today, the company is owned and operated by the Hearst Family, ranked by Forbes as one of the richest families in America, with a net worth of $22.4 billion.
One of the most notable figures in the Hearst Corporation is William R. Hearst III, the company’s chairman and the grandson of William Randolph Hearst.