Editing USA Network (section)

===USA Networks ownership (1994–2002)===
In 1994, Paramount Pictures parent Paramount Communications was sold to [[Viacom (1952–2005)|the original iteration of Viacom]]; the following year, MCA was acquired by [[Seagram]]. In April 1996, Viacom, which also owned [[Paramount Media Networks|MTV Networks]], launched a new classic television network called [[TV Land]]. MCA subsequently sued Viacom for [[breach of contract]], claiming that it had violated the non-compete clause in its joint venture agreement with MCA.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Media Business; MCA Sues Viacom, Saying New Channel Violates Their USA Network Partnership |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/30/business/media-business-mca-sues-viacom-saying-new-channel-violates-their-usa-network.html |first=Geraldine |last=Fabrikant |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 30, 1996 |access-date=August 18, 2014}}</ref> A judge presiding over the case sided with MCA,<ref>{{cite news |title=Seagram Wins Small Victory Over Viacom |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/16/business/seagram-wins-small-victory-over-viacom.html |first=Mark |last=Landler |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 16, 1997 |access-date=August 18, 2014}}</ref> and Viacom subsequently sold its stake in USA and the Sci-Fi Channel to Seagram for $1.7 billion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Seagram to Buy USA Networks for $1.7 Billion |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-23-mn-35268-story.html |first=Sallie |last=Hofmeister |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 23, 1997 |access-date=February 16, 2022}}</ref> In turn, Seagram sold a [[controlling interest]] in the networks to [[Barry Diller]] – who was previously head of Paramount Pictures when the company owned part of the network in the early 1980s and who was also credited with putting together the 1981 agreement which resulted in joint Paramount-Time-MCA ownership of the network<ref name=dillerusanetwork>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/28/business/barry-diller-s-latest-starring-role.html|title=Barry Diller's Latest Starring Role|first=Sandra|last=Salmans|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 28, 1983|accessdate=April 5, 2022}}</ref> – in February 1998, which led to the creation of [[IAC Inc.|USA Networks, Inc.]];<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1997/11/24/234345/index.htm |title=Once Again, It's Diller Time |last=Gunther |first=Marc |date=November 24, 1997 |magazine=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |via=CNN |access-date=November 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Barry Diller, Media Titan, Wants a Shot at the Small Time |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/15/business/barry-diller-media-titan-wants-a-shot-at-the-small-time.html |first=Geraldine |last=Fabrikant |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 15, 1998 |access-date=August 18, 2014}}</ref> the company also merged the cable channels with Diller's existing television properties including the [[HSN|Home Shopping Network]] and its broadcasting unit Silver King Broadcasting (which was restructured as [[USA Broadcasting]], and eventually sold its stations to [[Univision Communications]] in 2001 to form the nucleus of [[UniMás|Telefutura/UniMás]]).

In July 1995, USA began simulcasting the business news channel [[Bloomberg Television|Bloomberg Information TV]] Monday thru Saturday from 5:00 to 7:00&nbsp;a.m. Eastern; in 2004, the Bloomberg simulcast moved to [[E!]], where it ran until 2007 (USA was actually the second television network to simulcast Bloomberg's programming, the now-defunct [[American Independent Network]] also carried a simulcast of the channel during the mid-1990s). Bloomberg purchased the airtime from USA.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bloomberg on USA |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/95-OCR/BC-1995-05-08-OCR-Page-0048.pdf |access-date=August 8, 2021 |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=May 8, 1995 |page=50}}</ref> In October 1995, the network dropped the entire game show block; it was replaced with a block called ''USA Live'', which carried reruns of ''[[Love Connection]]'' and ''[[The People's Court]]'', with live hosted wraparound segments between shows; that block was dropped by 1997 (some of the game shows that USA had aired can still be seen on [[Game Show Network|GSN]] and [[Buzzr]]).

On June 17, 1996, the network unveiled a new on-air appearance, which included the introduction of a new logo (incorporating a star ridged into the "U" of the now-serifed "USA" logotype, replacing the Futura-typeface logo that had been in use since the network's start under the USA Network name in 1980), and a three-note jingle. Network IDs, feature presentation intros for movies and promo graphics were based around a behind-the-scenes look at the fictional "USA Studios"; some of the IDs showed people in the control room, while a studio that was being set-up by a crew was the backdrop for the "Tonight" menu that displayed the evening's schedule. Opening sequences leading into movie telecasts showed people running through the "USA Studios Film Vault". The new look coincided with a shift in focus, more towards off-network reruns and original programming; game shows and court shows were dropped from the schedule, while cartoons were phased out. USA Studios also became the branding for USA-produced programming at this point. This logo was replaced in July 1999 in favor of a 'USA flag'-styled logo (whose design was slightly modified in 2002).

In September 1996, USA replaced the ''USA Cartoon Express'' with the action-oriented children's block, ''[[USA Action Extreme Team]]''; the channel discontinued its animation block outright in September 1998 (other than airing the first-run teen sitcom ''[[USA High]]'' and reruns of ''[[Saved by the Bell: The New Class]]'' from 1997 to 2001, USA has not aired children's programming since that time), and replaced it with a block called "USAM", which advertised itself as "Primetime Comedy in the Morning". The block mainly featured sitcoms originally aired on network television that were cancelled before making it to [[100 episodes]] (such as ''[[The Jeff Foxworthy Show]]'', ''[[Hearts Afire]]'' and ''[[Something So Right (TV series)|Something So Right]]''); however, for a time, the block also included the 1989–1994 episodes of the [[Bob Saget]] run of ''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]''. "USAM" was discontinued in 2002; by that point, the only sitcoms airing on USA were daytime and late night reruns of ''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'' and overnight airings of ''[[Living Single]]'', ''[[Cheers]]'' and ''[[Wings (1990 TV series)|Wings]]'', with drama series and movies populating much of the channel's daytime and primetime schedule.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:USA Network logo 1999.png|thumb|right|150px|The third logo of USA Network, used from 1999 to 2005. Fourth logo of this network had five stripes, and fifth logo of this network uses a previous print logo in a blue box.]] -->
In 2000, USA Networks bought Canadian media company North American Television, Inc. (a joint partnership between the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] and [[Power Corporation of Canada]]), owner of cable television channels [[Trio (TV network)|Trio]] and [[Newsworld International]] (the CBC continued to handle programming responsibilities for NWI until 2005, when eventual USA owner [[Vivendi]] sold the channel to a group led by [[Al Gore]], who relaunched it as [[Current TV]]). One major shock happened when USA lost the broadcasting rights of the WWF to Viacom in June 2000; ''Raw'' (which had been retitled ''Raw is War'') was moved to [[Paramount Network|TNN]] in September of that year.