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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteCourt TV made real trials a regular television event: viewers could watch courtroom proceedings unfold live, alongside legal reporting and analysis. The network began in 1991, became closely associated with landmark criminal cases, and returned in 2019 with a format that paired live trial coverage with documentaries drawn from its archive. The title’s suggestion that many true-crime interests began there is a cultural impression, not a measured finding: the available sources do not quantify how viewers first discovered the genre.
When did Court TV start?
Court TV traces its origins to 1991. In a 2021 retrospective, the network identified journalist Steven Brill as its originator and described the original identity as a mix of live courtroom proceedings, in-depth legal reporting and expert analysis. The defining idea was to give television viewers a way to follow real cases as they happened, rather than encounter them only through later summaries or dramatizations. Court TV’s 2021 retrospective
That distinction matters: live trial coverage is not the same thing as a documentary about a trial. Court TV’s later programming used both approaches—broadcasting proceedings and creating edited programs that revisited cases.
How did Court TV become associated with famous trials?
Over time, Court TV became closely linked in public memory with high-profile cases, including the O.J. Simpson, Menendez brothers and Casey Anthony trials. These cases helped make the network a recognizable destination for people following major criminal proceedings. They are examples of its association with prominent trials, not evidence that Court TV covered every case or that those trials alone explain the rise of true-crime interest. Court TV’s 2018 relaunch announcement
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Watching a trial live can create a different experience from watching a finished documentary: the evidence, testimony and legal arguments arrive in sequence, without the same retrospective editing. Court TV’s legal analysis offered context around those proceedings, while its later archive-based programs could shape older material into a new narrative.
What happened to the original Court TV?
The documented milestones show a return of the Court TV brand rather than a continuous account of every intervening ownership or programming change. In December 2018, Katz Networks, part of The E.W. Scripps Company, announced plans to relaunch Court TV as a 24-hour network. Katz said it had acquired the brand’s intellectual property and original library from Turner Broadcasting. The company described that library as 100,000 hours of footage from more than 1,000 trials; those are company-reported figures, and the announcement did not provide independent audit details. Court TV’s 2018 announcement
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Why did Court TV return in 2019?
A network built around live coverage
The revived network launched in May 2019, presenting itself as a source of gavel-to-gavel coverage of major current trials. In its 2018 announcement, Katz Networks framed the relaunch as a response to what it saw as public interest in true crime and a lack of daily television court coverage. That was the company’s promotional rationale, not an independently measured finding about audience demand.
An archive turned into documentaries
The revival was not limited to live proceedings. Court TV planned to use its historic footage for documentaries and docuseries, beginning with OJ25, a retrospective project about the O.J. Simpson murder case. In 2019, the network described its archive as nearly 100,000 hours spanning more than 1,000 trials, a company-reported estimate. Jonathan Katz, then president and CEO of Katz Networks, said the library offered “the new opportunity to tell compelling true-crime stories” that could support live coverage of current trials. Court TV’s 2019 programming announcement
This blend connected two ways of telling crime stories: watching a case unfold in court and revisiting courtroom material through an edited documentary. It helps explain why Court TV can be remembered both as a place to follow trials and as part of the broader true-crime television landscape.
Did the revival bring renewed attention?
During Derek Chauvin’s 2021 trial, Court TV said live streams in the first week were 20 times the pre-trial level. The Associated Press reported that figure in an article carried by Court TV; it should be understood as the network’s reported comparison, not an independently audited audience measurement. The report described the trial as a moment when the revived brand was working to reintroduce itself to viewers. Associated Press report carried by Court TV
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who owns Court TV now, and where can you watch it?
Court TV’s About Us page says Law&Crime acquired the network in 2026. Scripps also announced an agreement to sell Court TV to Law&Crime that year. Court TV’s About Us page · Scripps’ 2026 announcement
Court TV lists cable, satellite, over-the-air television and online viewing, and names YouTube TV, SiriusXM, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV among its routes to the network. Availability and what each service carries can vary by location and change over time, so check Court TV’s current watch page and the relevant provider’s local lineup before relying on a particular option.
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