Investigation Discovery is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Discovery, Inc. As of February 2015, approximately 86,062,000 American households receive Investigation Discovery.
History
The channel launched in 1996 under the name Discovery Civilization Network: The WorldHistory and Geography Channel. It was one of four digital cable companion networks rolled out by Discovery Communications simultaneously in October 1996. Plans for the channel had surfaced in November 1994, when its working name was "Time Traveler". In April 2002, New York Times Television and Discovery Communications announced a joint venture to run the Discovery Civilization Channel. By then, it was available in 14 million households. The partnership aimed to complement the historical shows, with programming about current events and contemporary history. On March 25, 2003, the channel was rebranded as Discovery Times, focusing more on the culture of the United States, as well as other miscellaneous programming. The previous name was described as "a little off-message" by executives. In April 2006, The New York Times sold its stake in Discovery Times back to Discovery Communications, ending its ownership in the channel. On January 27, 2008, Discovery Times was relaunched as Investigation Discovery, oriented towards true crime programs. In 2016, owing to a resurgence in popularity within the true crime genre, ID was the second-highest-rated cable network among women 25-54. In 2018, ID was the sixth-highest-rated basic cable network in full-day viewership.
Programming
Most of ID's programs are original productions, but it also airs re-titled off-network reruns, including ABC's 20/20, CBS' 48 Hours, and NBC’s Dateline. ID's longest-running series is On The Case with Paula Zahn which debuted in 2009. Other long-running shows on the network include Disappeared and . On June 7, 2015, ID aired its first ever scripted mini-series; Serial Thriller: Angel of Decay chronicled the investigation of convicted serial killerTed Bundy. A second installment, Serial Thriller: The Chameleon, premiered as a two-part miniseries in December 2015, chronicling the crimes that resulted in the execution of American serial killerStephen Morin. A third installment, Serial Thriller: The Headhunter, about serial killer Edmund Kemper, premiered on February 20, 2016.
