Military channels go to war on cable TV

Ten-hut!

The launch of the Military Channel on Monday proved a boon for armchair generals and fans of corporate warfare too. It came only five days after another network, the Military History Channel, began operating.

Both are targeting much the same audience with a similar programming mix and are bankrolled by two of the cable TV industry’s biggest and most successful players.

Let the battle begin.

The Military Channel is a repositioning of the aviation-centered Discovery Wings channel, which is already seen in about 35 million homes. It’s the 14th domestic channel operated by Discovery Communications Inc., including TLC and the Discovery Network.

The Military History Channel is a spinoff of the History Channel, the sixth U.S. network started by AETN, and was offered to cable and satellite systems starting last Wednesday.

“They both see an opportunity in the marketplace and they each have considerable assets to throw at this,” said Larry Gerbrandt, an analyst of cable TV for AlixPartners.

Considering millions of Americans have military experience and the country is at war, it seems like such an obvious idea for a network that it’s a wonder a version of these networks didn’t exist before.

Military history is still and will continue to be part of the History Channel’s mix, but the network has been trying to broaden its reach with more programming on technological, social and religious history, said Dan Davids, network president.

“There is a group out there that wants to be able to see military history documentaries any time of day, 24 hours a day,” he said, which is what the Military History Channel will offer.

The Military Channel, meanwhile, will rely on documentaries and gadget-centered programming and also will feature a recurring series, “Goin’ Back,” following veterans returning to battlefields that shaped their lives. The first installment, on Feb. 24, is about Iwo Jima.

“We’ll cover both history and history in the making,” said David Karp, senior vice president and general manager of the Military Channel.

Is there room for both?

“It’s very hard to handicap the race at this point,” Gerbrandt said. “The likelihood is both will get some sort of distribution.”