TVS Television Network

The TVS Television Network was one of several 'occasional' national television networks that sprang up in the early 1960s to take advantage of the establishment of independent (mostly UHF) television stations and relaxation of the AT&T long line usage rates. Founded by Eddie Einhorn, the network originally telecast college basketball games to regional networks at a time that the sport was of no interest to the national networks. Taking advantage of intense regional collegiate rivalries, the network blossomed in the 1960s and developed into a full service sports network. While college basketball remained the TVS signature series, they also expanded into tennis, college football bowl games, NASL pro soccer, and tennis and golf. In 1968, they broke the college basketball audience viewing record with the legendary Houston vs UCLA game from the then remarkable Houston Astrodome. In 1974, they added the World Football League and the network became recognized as a national presence. By 1980, Einhorn had sold his interest in the network and became the head of CBS Sports, and later became an owner of the Chicago White Sox. The network stalled in the 1980s and pased through several owners before being acquired by Reach Entertainment in 1987. Today, the network continues to distribute programming via TV, home video, and the web.