List of documentary television channels

This is a list of documentary channels, including channels that have been affected by "channel drift".^[1] It also contains channels accused of a biased point of view.

See also: Category:Documentary television channels

List

Name	Launch	Country	Language	Content focus	Change of content/bias	Examples of content in original focus (past and present)	Owner/parent company
PBS America	2011	United Kingdom	English	History, Science, Current Affairs and Arts & Culture	Available on Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview and Freesat		PBS
A&E	1984	United States	English	Documentaries, biographies and crime dramas (originally)	Reality shows, stereotypes (Southerners)	The First 48, Criminal Minds, CSI:Miami	A+E Networks
ABC	1956	Australia	English	Mass media, United States cable	Live broadcasts (sports), tv shows (television programs), reality shows
Al Jazeera Documentary Channel	2007	Qatar	Arabic	Documentary films	Al Jazeera has been criticized for being state media owned by Qatar and assailed as anti-Semitic, anti-American bias.		Al Jazeera Media Network
American Heroes Channel	1999	USA	English	World War II, U.S. war documentaries
Animal Planet	1996	USA	English	Wildlife, animals, relation between humans and animals	Speculative fiction and pseudo-documentaries (mermaids, dragons), non-animal shows[2][3][4][5]	Cats 101, Dogs 101	Warner Bros. Discovery
APTN	1992	Canada	English	Programs and news about Aboriginal peoples in Canada	Some non-Aboriginal programming[6]	APTN National News, Blackstone, Cooking With the Wolfman
Arte	1992	France, Germany	French, German	Arts, culture
BBC	1922	UK	English	Mass media, public broadcasting
BBC Four	1999	UK	English	Culture, current affairs			British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Earth	2015	UK	English	Nature and wildlife documentaries			BBC Studios
BBC Parliament	1992	UK	English	Parliamentary and legislative programs			British Broadcasting Corporation
beIN İZ	2006	Turkey	Turkish	History and society documentary			beIN Media Group
Bravo	1995	Canada	English	Television dramas, films, art-related programming	Film-dramas, non-art TV shows[7][8]	Inside the Actors Studio, Blue Bloods, 19-2, Dallas, Criminal Minds
C-SPAN	1979	USA	English	Government proceedings and public affairs
C-SPAN 2	1986	USA	English	Government proceedings and public affairs
C-SPAN 3	2001	USA	English	Government proceedings and public affairs
Canal D	1995	Canada	French	Crime, biographies, nature, and science			Bell Media
Canal+ Docs	2021	France	French	History and society documentary			Canal+ S.A.
Canal+ Dokument	2019	Poland	Polish
Canal+ Discover	2021	Ethiopia	Oromo
			Amharic
Canal+ Su Sann	2018	Myanmar	Burmese
CCTV-9	2011	China	It has one editions: one in Chinese for mainland China.	Documentary shows			CCTV
CGTN Documentary	2016	China	It has one editions: one in English for international broadcasting.	Documentary shows			CGTN
CMT (Canada)	1995	Canada	English	Country music, country music videos		Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Canadian Country Music Awards, CMT Music Awards
CNBC	1989	USA	English	Business news, stocks			NBCUniversal
CNN	1980	USA	English	United States cable news, documentaries	Accused of both conservative and liberal bias in news[9]	News covering both conservative and liberal topics	Warner Bros. Discovery
Cosmote History	2016	Greece	Greek	Documentary and historical fiction series			OTE
Crime and Investigation Network	2004	USA	English	Crime-related			A+E Networks
ČT art	2013	Czech Republic	Czech	Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music			Czech Television
Da Vinci Learning	2007	Germany	English	History, sociology, biology, physics
Digi Animal World	2012	Romania	Romanian	Nature and wildlife documentary			Digi Communications
Digi World				History and society documentary
Culturebox	2021	France	French	Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music			France Télévisions
DD National	1957	India	Hindi				Prasar Bharati
DD Bharati	1985	India	Hindi	History			Prasar Bharati
Destination America	1996	USA	English	Traveling, how-to travel, hotel and cities touring, lifestyle, history	Speculative fiction[10]	Hidden in America	Warner Bros. Discovery
Discovery Channel	1985	USA	English	Popular science, technology and history	Reality shows, speculative fiction (time-travel, alternate universes, the paranormal, etc.), speculative fiction[11][12][13][14][15]	MythBusters, Daily Planet, Curiosity, The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius, Frozen Planet, Life
Discovery Historia	2006	Poland	Polish	History			TVN Warner Bros. Discovery
Discovery History	1999	UK	English	History			Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA
Discovery Life	2011	USA	English	Fitness and health
Discovery World	1998	USA	English	Travel, culture and history	Replaced by DTX in Europe		Warner Bros. Discovery
Documentales por Movistar Plus+	2023	Spain	Spanish	History and society documentary			Telefónica
Documentary Channel	2001	Canada	English	Documentary films			CBC
DTour	1997	Canada	English	Travel, lifestyle			Corus Entertainment
Encore	1991	USA	English	Theatrically released feature films (older to more recent), TV shows (on some channels)
Encuentro	2007	Argentina	Spanish	History, science and general culture
Epic	2014	India	Hindi, English	Infotainment, Travel
Food Food	2006	India	Hindi	Food, Cooking
Food Network	1993	USA	English	Food, cooking, cuisine, the food industry			Warner Bros. Discovery
Food Network (Canada)	2000	Canada	English	Food, cooking, cuisine, the food industry			Corus Entertainment
Fox News Channel	1996	USA	English	United States cable news	Accused of conservative bias[16][17][18] in news although this has been stated as unsubstantiated by members of Fox News[19][20][21][17][22][23]		Fox Corporation
France 5	1994	France	French	Documentaries, educational programming			France Télévisions
France.tv Docs	2024	France	French	Documentary
Focus	2012	Italy	Italian	Documentaries, programming			Mediaset
FYI	1999	USA	English	Biographical shows	Reality shows, speculative fiction (curses, alien and ghost encounters)[24]	Biography	A+E Networks
HGTV	1994	USA	English	How-to shows with a focus on home improvement, gardening, remodeling and crafts			Warner Bros. Discovery
Historia	2000	Canada	French	Historic dramas, documentaries, movies, human interests programs			A+E Networks
History	1995	USA	English	Documentary and historical fiction series	Reality shows, speculative documentaries (Ancient Aliens), apocalypse shows, US history, non-historic reality shows, fairly homogeneous viewpoint, concentrated program topics (World War II,[25][26][27][28][29][15]	Museum Secrets, Ancients Behaving Badly	A+E Networks
History (Canada)	1997	Canada	English	Documentary and historical fiction series	Reality shows, apocalypse shows, speculative fiction[30]		A+E Networks
HLN	1984	USA	English	30-minute newscast	Tabloid, Crime, opinion,[31][32] and entertainment news-related programming[33]	Morning Express with Robin Meade	Warner Bros. Discovery
ICI ARTV	2001	Canada	French	Documentary, culture, arts and music			CBC
ICI Explora	2012	Canada	French	Science, environment, nature and health
Investigation Discovery	1996	USA	English	Crime-related			Warner Bros. Discovery
JOJ Svet	2023	Slovakia	Slovak	Documentary, science, history, nature			J&T Enterprise
Kabel Eins Doku	2016	Germany	German	Documentary, science, history, nature			ProSiebenSat.1 Media
Knowledge Network	1981	Canada	English	Politics, culture, history, arts, music, health, parenting, and science
Kunskapskanalen	2004	Sweden	Swedish	Government proceedings, Educational			SVT
M5	2016	Hungary	Hungarian	Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music			MTVA
MCM	1989	France	French	Music videos (popular music, French music)	Reality shows, horror series, anime shows[34]	Top 50 hebdo, MCM sur le dancefloor, Top 50 quotidien
Military History	1999	USA	English	World War II, wars, generals			A+E Networks
IRIB Mostanad	2011	Iran	Persian	Culture, arts, society, politics, history, wilderness, nature and the Iran–Iraq War			IRIB
MSNBC	1996	USA	English	Documentary in current affairs			NBCUniversal
MTV India (previously MTV3 Fakta)	2006	India	Hindi	Documentaries, Music			Paramount Networks EMEAA
N24 Doku	2016	Germany	German	Documentary, science, history, nature			WeltN24
Nat Geo	1997	USA	English	Nature, culture, science, engineering & technology, history & society	Reality shows/stereotypes (Navajo, Southerners shows, the Amish and other minority groups) and apocalypse shows[35][15][36]	Explorer, Taboo	The Walt Disney Company
Nat Geo Music	2007	Italy, India	English	Documentaries about cultures and music around the world
Nat Geo Wild	2010	Hong Kong, India	English	Wildlife, natural history
National Geographic Adventure	1994	Singapore	English	Outdoor, travel and exploration
OLN	1997	Canada	English	Fact-based outdoor adventure shows	Speculative fiction (aliens, ghosts, monsters, paranormal), reality shows, conspiracy theories[37]	Departures, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan, Descending, Duck Commander, Python Hunters, Survivorman, Mantracker
Paramount Network	1983	USA	English	A movie channel focusing primarily on theatrical and original made-for-TV films.	Originally founded as TNN, rebranded as Spike TV, now Paramount		Paramount Global
PBS	1970	USA	English	Non-profit television, fine arts, drama, science, history, music, public affairs, independent films, home improvement, interviews	Accused of anti-Communist and liberal point-of-view[38][39]
Phoenix	1997	Germany	German	Documentaries, news broadcasts, special events, discussion programmes			ARD, ZDF
Planète+	1988	France	French	Documentaries			Groupe Canal+
	2021	Poland	Polish
Polsat Doku	2017	Poland	Polish	Documentaries			Telewizja Polsat
Prima History	2023	Romania	Romanian	Documentary focuses in History			Clever Group
Prima Zoom	2013	Czech Republic	Czech	Documentary, science, history, nature			FTV Prima
Rai 5	2010	Italy	Italian	Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music			RAI
Rai Scuola	2009	Italy	Italian	Educational
Rai Storia	2009	Italy	Italian	Historical events, occasionally with current relevance
RMC Découverte	2012	France	French	Documentary, men's interest			RMC BFM
RMC Story	2012	France	French	Documentary, science, history, nature
RT Documentary	2011	Russia	English, Russian	Russia			ANO TV-Novosti
RTS Nauka	2020	Serbia	Serbian	Documentary, Nature, Science			RTS
RTS Trezor	2016			Documentary, History
Russian Travel Guide	2009	Russia	English, Russian, Turkish	Nature, science, culture, and history of the Russian Federation
Science	1996	USA	English	Space, technology and science	Speculative fiction, non- science shows[40][15]	The Challenger Disaster, How Do They Do It?, How It's Made, Futurescape, What Is That?, How The Universe Works, Wonders of Life	Warner Bros. Discovery
Showcase	1995	Canada	English	Canadian and worldwide independent films, drama, comedy, mini-series	American shows and movies
Sky Arts	2007	UK	English	Arts including, theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music			Sky Group
Sky Arte	2012	Italy	Italian
Sky Documentaries	2020	UK	English	History and society documentary
	2021	Germany	German
		Italy	Italian
Sky Crime	2019	UK	English	Investigation and justice documentary
	2021	Germany	German
	2023	Italy	Italian
Sky History	2020	UK	English	Documentary and historical fiction series		Museum Secrets, Ancients Behaving Badly
Sky Nature	2020	UK	English	Nature and wildlife documentary
	2021	Germany	German
		Italy	Italian
Space	1997	Canada	English	Science fiction, space-related programming	Reality shows, fantasy, horror, paranormal[41]	InnerSPACE, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Stargate Universe, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1, Doctor Who
TGRT Belgesel	2010	Turkey	Turkish	Documentary			İhlas Yayın Holding
Travel Channel	1987	USA	English	Traveling, how-to travel, hotel and cities touring	Paranormal (haunted places, ghosts)[42]	Marianela's Best Beaches, Edge of America, No Reservations, Samantha Brown, Best of the Road, Off Limits, Top 5	Warner Bros. Discovery
TruTV	1991	USA	English	Legal programming	Reality shows[43]		Sony Pictures Entertainment
TRT Belgesel	2009	Turkey	Turkish	Documentary			Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu
TV4 Fakta	2005	Sweden	Swedish	Science			TV4 AB
TVP Historia	2005	Poland	Polish	Documentary, History			Telewizja Polska
TVP Kultura	2007			Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music
TVP Dokument	2020			Documentary
TVP Nauka	2022			Documentary, Nature, Science
U&Eden	2004	UK	English	Documentary, Nature			UKTV (BBC Studios)
U&Yesterday	2004	UK	English	Documentary, History
Viasat Explorer	2002	Sweden	English	Wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology			Viasat World LTD
Viasat History	2004	Sweden	English	History, culture and society
Viasat Nature	1994	Sweden	Swedish, Danish, Norwegian	Nature and wildlife
ViJu Explorer	2023	Russia	Russian	Wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology			Viasat Russia
ViJu History				History, culture and society
ViJu Nature				Nature and wildlife
W Network	1995	Canada	English	Women-oriented feminist programming[44]	Primetime movies
The Weather Channel	1982	USA	English	Weather news and information	Documentary programs[45]
The Weather Network	1988	Canada	English	Weather news and information
TVR Cultural	2002 (original) 2022 (relaunch)	Romania	Romanian	Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music			Televiziunea Română
YLE Teema Fem	2017	Finland	Finnish	Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music			YLE
ZDFinfo	1997	Germany	German				ZDF
Zee Documentary	2001	India	English, Hindi	Learning, culture and sciences			Zee Entertainment
National Documentary Channel	2019	Somalia	Somali	Culture and Sciences			National Documentary Channel
Zing	2006	India	Hindi	Indian Music			Zee Entertainment

See also

• Channel drift

References

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