Television vets partner for muscular new network

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The US health and fitness marketplace tops $100 billion per year, so a group of experienced cable, programming and fitness industry veterans have joined forces to form a new network to target the “physical culture” market. MUSL TV (The “Muscle, Ultra-Sports and Lifestyle” Network will feature both a linear network for cable/satellite/telco outlets and a broadband network.


The website is already up, www.musltv.com, but doesn’t yet have any programming content. A social networking component is also in the works. A company spokesman told RBR-TVBR that the linear network is expected to launch in Q4 of 2011 or Q1 of 2012. MUSL TV has just begun to talk with cable/satellite/telco distributors.

MUSL TV is being billed as America’s first 24/7 HD linear entertainment network fully devoted to all levels of fitness, training and competitive performance.”

“MUSL TV is for all levels of athletes and recreational enthusiasts who aspire to reach their full potential; elite athletes striving for peak performance, weekend warriors learning new techniques to better their game or novices running their first 5K. We are all about transformation, big personalities, compelling story lines and competitive events.  For our distribution partners, we are excited about aggregating and delivering a new universe of viewers across highly sought-after demographics, both male and female, who are passionate about their active and athletic lifestyles,” said President and CEO Jacob Arback, who was a co-founder and, for seven years, the president of The Africa Channel.

Mohamed Mohsen, Chairman, brings 30 years of combined experience in the sport of bodybuilding, the fitness product industry and film production. 

Robb Weller, former KTTV-TV Los Angeles anchor, is EVP, Programming & Production. Veteran TV producer (Entertainment Tonight, NBC News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and more) Gary Grossman is EVP, Programming Development.

Programming will include a wide variety of originally-produced shows and licensed content. From high performance athletic challenges and prime-time reality entertainment competitions to adventure sports, athletic and strength competitions, fitness modeling, sport-specific training, daily talk and power cooking shows, MUSL TV is envisioned as a destination lifestyle network fully devoted to “physical culture” and will be programmed for audiences of all ages and in all life stages. 

“Viewers enjoy watching programming that they can easily identify with and today, with so many men and women of all ages looking to better their bodies, get in shape, have more endurance and lead a healthier lifestyle, there is a pent-up demand for the types of shows we will be producing and airing,” said Weller.

The new network will be advertiser-supported. MUSL TV plans to develop partnerships with charter sponsors across the diverse fitness, nutritional supplement and equipment suppliers already serving this audience.  

RBR-TVBR observation: Lots of exercise machines now come with a TV built in so that people don’t have to look at a blank wall while working out. Plus, most gyms have additional TV screens around for the same reason. This looks like a ready-made audience.