Editing USA Network (section)

==="Characters Welcome", the "blue sky" era (2005–2016)===
In 2005, USA Network introduced a new logo and associated marketing campaign, "Characters Welcome". The slogan was designed to help emphasize the wide range of programming the network offered, and to help USA Network establish itself more prominently as a brand. The launch of the campaign featured promos themed around the daily lives of characters from the network's programs.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/mr-robot-usa-network-brand-tagline-refresh-1201752745/ |title=USA Network Revamps Brand Image, Tagline for 'Mr. Robot' Era |last=Littleton |first=Cynthia |date=April 14, 2016 |work=Variety |access-date=October 3, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> To contrast itself from the "grittier" offerings of other mainstream cable networks, USA Network's original programming during this era was marked by a focus on comedic and "optimistic" action and [[Comedy drama|drama]] series, referred to as a "blue sky" approach. Notable examples of this programming strategy included ''[[Psych]]'' (2006),<ref>{{Cite web|title='Psych' Series Finale: Everyone Gets Their Happy Ending|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/psych-finale-shawn-juliet-engaged-gus-moves-san-francisco-691230|access-date=June 28, 2020|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 26, 2014 |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Burn Notice]]'' (2007), and ''[[Royal Pains]]'' (2009).<ref name="wp-endofblue">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/07/07/farewell-royal-pains-and-hello-mr-robot-usas-era-of-blue-sky-shows-is-over/ |title=Farewell 'Royal Pains' and hello 'Mr. Robot': USA's era of 'blue-sky shows' is over |first=Emily |last=Yahr |date=July 7, 2016 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 27, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2009/11/13/usa-networks-secrets-success-0 |title=USA Network's secrets for success |first=Dan |last=Snierson |date=November 13, 2009 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref> In October 2005, ''Raw'' returned to USA Network after Viacom did not renew its broadcasting agreement with the WWE.

On May 13, 2007 (in advance of NBC's 2007–08 fall upfronts presentation), NBC Universal announced that new episodes of ''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]'' would be moved to USA Network beginning with the drama's seventh season in the fall of 2007; episodes would then be re-aired later in the season on NBC, most likely to shore up any programming holes created by the cancellation of a failed new series. Although this is not the first time a broadcast series has moved to cable (USA had acquired first-run rights to the revival of ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985 TV series)|Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' from NBC in [[1987 in television|1987]], while ''[[The Paper Chase (TV series)|The Paper Chase]]'' had moved beforehand from [[CBS]] to [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] in 1983), it marked the first time that a series which moved its first-run episodes from broadcast to cable television would continue to air episodes on a broadcast network while it was still a first-run program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nbcumv.com/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20070513000000-allthree034law.html |title=All Three 'Law & Order'- Branded Series Will Continue On The Networks of NBC Universal |date=May 13, 2007 |website=[[NBCUniversal]]}}{{Dead link|date=December 2009}}</ref> On December 7, 2007, it was announced that USA Network would continue broadcasting first-run episodes of ''Raw'' through at least 2010.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6510611.html?rssid=193 |title=USA Extends WWE Monday Night Raw Deal |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=December 7, 2007 |magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |access-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402085638/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6510611.html?rssid=193 |archive-date=April 2, 2008}}</ref>

The June 1, 2008, premiere of ''[[In Plain Sight]]'', starring [[Mary McCormack]], was USA's highest-rated series premiere since the 2006 debut of ''Psych'', with 5.3&nbsp;million viewers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmfilm.com/article.php?id=1258 |title=Governor Bill Richardson Announces In Plain Sight to be Filmed in New Mexico |website=New Mexico Film Office |access-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618161125/http://www.nmfilm.com/article.php?id=1258 |archive-date=June 18, 2012}}</ref> In early 2009, USA Network acquired the network television rights for 24 recent and upcoming [[Universal Pictures]] films, including ''[[Duplicity (2009 film)|Duplicity]]'', ''[[Funny People]]'', ''[[Frost/Nixon (film)|Frost/Nixon]]'', ''[[Land of the Lost (film)|Land of the Lost]]'', ''[[Milk (2008 American film)|Milk]]'', and ''[[State of Play (film)|State of Play]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2009/film/features/usa-universal-sign-200-million-deal-1117999803/ |title=USA, Universal sign $200 million deal |first=Michael |last=Schneider |date=February 8, 2009 |work=Variety |access-date=November 2, 2019}}</ref>

In 2011, control and majority ownership of then-parent [[NBC Universal]] passed from [[General Electric]] to [[Comcast]]. Comcast would buy out GE's remaining ownership in NBCU two years later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2013/03/comcast-completes-acquisition-nbcuniversal-457181/ |title=Comcast Completes Acquisition Of GE's 49% Stake In NBCUniversal |last=Lieberman |first=David |date=March 19, 2013 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=November 2, 2019}}</ref> USA Network was considered the key piece of the NBC-Comcast merger; Wunderlich Securities analyst Matthew Harrigan projected that USA contributed $9.5 billion to NBCUniversal's $44.8 billion value, with NBC contributing only $408&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/usa-network-jeff-wachtel-chris-mccumber-267696 |title=How USA Co-Presidents Will Move Beyond the 'Blue Skies' Programming (Q&A) |last1=Rose |first1=Lacey |date=November 30, 2011 |work=Hollywood Reporter |access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref> In 2014, the channel had dropped 18% in viewership and out of first place among the major cable channels. USA has been a key NBCUniversal asset accounting for one-third of advertising revenue for [[NBCUniversal Media Group|NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group]] and $1 billion in annual earnings over the past few years.<ref name="lat-serialized">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-usa-network-pivot-2-20141111-story.html |title=USA Network's 'blue skies' programming takes an edgy, serialized turn |last1=Villarreal |first1=Yvonne |date=November 11, 2014 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref>

In April 2015, it was announced that ''[[WWE SmackDown]]'' would move to USA from sister network [[Syfy]].<ref name="Weekly">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/07/usa-network-wwe-smackdown |title=WWE SmackDown moves to USA Network |last=Bacle |first=Ariana |date=April 7, 2015 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=April 8, 2015 |archive-date=April 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409030726/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/07/usa-network-wwe-smackdown |url-status=dead }}</ref>