Wikipedia / List of documentary television channels
Wikipedia / List of documentary television channels
The table below presents a list of documentary channels, including ones affected by "channel drift" and those accused of having a biased point of view.
List
Name | Launch | Country | Language | Content focus | Change of content/bias | Examples of content in original focus (past and present) | Owner/parent company |
2011 | United Kingdom | English | History, Science, Current Affairs and Arts & Culture | Available on Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview and Freesat | |||
1984 | United States | English | Documentaries, biographies and crime dramas (originally) | ||||
1956 | Australia | English | Mass media, United States cable | Live broadcastss (sports), tv shows (television programs), reality shows | |||
2007 | Documentary films | Al Jazeera has been criticized for being state media owned by Qatar and assailed as anti-Semitic, anti-American bias. | |||||
1999 | USA | English | World War II, U.S. war documentaries | ||||
1996 | USA | English | Wildlife, animals, relation between humans and animals | Speculative fiction and pseudo-documentaries (mermaids, dragons), non-animal shows | |||
1992 | Canada | English | Programs and news about Aboriginal peoples in Canada | Some non-Aboriginal programming | |||
1992 | France, Germany | French, German | |||||
2012 | Arts including, theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music | ||||||
1922 | English | Mass media, public broadcasting | |||||
1999 | UK | English | Culture, current affairs | ||||
2015 | UK | English | Nature and wildlife documentaries | ||||
1992 | UK | English | Parliamentary and legislative programs | ||||
BeIN İZ | 2006 | Turkey | Turkish | History and society documentary | |||
1995 | Canada | English | Television dramas, films, art-related programming | Film-dramas, non-art TV shows | Inside the Actors Studio, Blue Bloods, 19-2, Dallas, Criminal Minds | ||
1979 | USA | English | Government proceedings and public affairs | ||||
1986 | USA | English | Government proceedings and public affairs | ||||
2001 | USA | English | Government proceedings and public affairs | ||||
1996 | Argentina | Spanish | Cultural, Documentary | ||||
1995 | Canada | French | |||||
Canal+ Docs | 2021 | France | French | History and society documentary | |||
2019 | Poland | Polish | |||||
Canal+ Discover | 2021 | Ethiopia | Oromo | ||||
Amharic | |||||||
Canal+ Su Sann | 2018 | Myanmar | Burmese | ||||
2011 | China | It has one editions: one in Chinese for mainland China. | Documentary shows | ||||
2016 | China | It has one editions: one in English for international broadcasting. | Documentary shows | ||||
1995 | Canada | English | Country music, country music videos | Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Canadian Country Music Awards, CMT Music Awards | |||
1989 | USA | English | Business news, financial news | ||||
1980 | USA | English | United States cable news, documentaries | Accused of both conservative and liberal bias in news | News covering both conservative and liberal topics | ||
2016 | Greece | Greek | Documentary and historical fiction series | ||||
2004 | USA | English | Crime-related | ||||
2013 | Czech Republic | Czech | Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music | ||||
2001 | Canada | English | Science, nature, and history documentary programs | ||||
2005 | Automotive industry and transportation documentary programs | ||||||
2001 | Wildlife, animals, relation between humans and animals documentary programs | ||||||
Da Vinci Learning | 2007 | Germany | English | ||||
1957 | India | ||||||
1985 | History | ||||||
1996 | USA | English | Traveling, how-to travel, hotel and cities touring, lifestyle, history | Speculative fiction | |||
2012 | Romania | Romanian | Nature and wildlife documentary | ||||
History and society documentary | |||||||
1985 | USA | English | Popular science, technology and history | Reality shows, speculative fiction (time-travel, alternate universes, the paranormal, etc.), speculative fiction | MythBusters, Daily Planet, Curiosity, The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius, Frozen Planet, Life | ||
2006 | History | ||||||
1999 | UK | English | History | ||||
2011 | USA | English | |||||
2002 | USA | Spanish, Portuguese | Culture, Science | ||||
1998 | USA | English | Travel, culture and history | Replaced by DTX in Europe | |||
2023 | Spain | Spanish | History and society documentary | ||||
2001 | Canada | English | Documentary films | ||||
1997 | Canada | English | Travel, lifestyle | ||||
1991 | USA | English | Theatrically released feature films (older to more recent), TV shows (on some channels) | ||||
2007 | Spanish | History, science and general culture | |||||
2014 | Infotainment, Travel | ||||||
2012 | Italy | Italian | Documentaries, programming | ||||
1996 | Argentina | Spanish, Portuguese | Documentary, Movies, Culture, Arts, Music, Theater | ||||
2006 | Food, Cooking | ||||||
1993 | USA | English | Food, cooking, cuisine, the food industry | ||||
2000 | Canada | English | Food, cooking, cuisine, the food industry | ||||
1996 | USA | English | Accused of conservative bias in news although this has been stated as unsubstantiated by members of Fox News | ||||
2005 | France | French | Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music | ||||
1994 | France | French | Documentaries, educational programming | ||||
2024 | France | French | Documentary | ||||
1999 | USA | English | Biographical shows | Reality shows, speculative fiction (curses, alien and ghost encounters) | |||
2014 | Germany | German | Documentary, science, history, nature | ||||
1994 | USA | English | How-to shows with a focus on home improvement, gardening, remodeling and crafts | ||||
1997 | France | French | Documentary programming about history | ||||
2000 | Canada | French | Historic dramas, documentaries, movies, human interests programs | ||||
1995 | USA | English | Documentary and historical fiction series | Reality shows, speculative documentaries (Ancient Aliens), apocalypse shows, US history, non-historic reality shows, fairly homogeneous viewpoint, concentrated program topics (World War II, | |||
1997 | Canada | English | Documentary and historical fiction series | Reality shows, apocalypse shows, speculative fiction | |||
1984 | USA | English | 30-minute newscast | Tabloid, Crime, opinion, and entertainment news-related programming | |||
2001 | Canada | French | Documentary, culture, arts and music | ||||
2012 | Canada | French | Science, environment, nature and health | ||||
2013 | Canada | French | Investigation and justice documentary | ||||
1996 | USA | English | Crime-related | ||||
2011 | Culture, arts, society, politics, history, wilderness, nature and the Iran–Iraq War | ||||||
JOJ Svet | 2023 | Slovakia | Slovak | Documentary, science, history, nature | |||
2016 | Germany | German | Documentary, science, history, nature | ||||
1981 | Canada | English | Politics, culture, history, arts, music, health, parenting, and science | ||||
2004 | Sweden | Government proceedings, Educational | |||||
2016 | Hungary | Hungarian | Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music | ||||
1989 | France | French | Music videos (popular music, French music) | Reality shows, horror series, anime shows | |||
1999 | USA | English | World War II, wars, generals | ||||
1996 | USA | English | Documentary in current affairs | ||||
MTV India (previously MTV3 Fakta) | 2006 | India | Documentaries, Music | ||||
2016 | Germany | German | Documentary, science, history, nature | WeltN24 | |||
1997 | USA | English | Nature, culture, science, engineering & technology, history & society | Reality shows/stereotypes (Navajo, Southerners shows, the Amish and other minority groups) and apocalypse shows | |||
2007 | Italy, India | English | Documentaries about cultures and music around the world | ||||
2010 | Hong Kong, India | English | Wildlife, natural history | ||||
1994 | Singapore | English | Outdoor, travel and exploration | ||||
1997 | Canada | English | Fact-based outdoor adventure shows | Speculative fiction (aliens, ghosts, monsters, paranormal), reality shows, conspiracy theories | Departures, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan, Duck Commander, Survivorman, Mantracker | ||
1983 | USA | English | A movie channel focusing primarily on theatrical and original made-for-TV films. | Originally founded as TNN, rebranded as Spike TV, now Paramount | |||
1970 | USA | English | fine arts, drama, science, history, music, public affairs, independent films, home improvement, interviews | Accused of anti-Communist and liberal point-of-view | |||
1997 | Germany | German | Documentaries, news broadcasts, special events, discussion programmes | ||||
1988 | France | French | Documentaries | ||||
2021 | Poland | Polish | |||||
1998 | France | French | Documentaries programming about adventures | ||||
2007 | France | French | Documentaries programming about investigation and justice | ||||
2017 | Poland | Polish | Documentaries | ||||
2025 | Poland | Polish | Adventures and science documentary | ||||
Prima History | 2023 | Romania | Romanian | Documentary focuses in History | |||
2024 | Romania | Romanian | Documentary focuses in Traveling | ||||
2013 | Czech Republic | Czech | Documentary, science, history, nature | ||||
2010 | Italy | Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music | |||||
2009 | Italy | Italian | Educational | ||||
2009 | Italy | Italian | Historical events, occasionally with current relevance | ||||
2012 | France | French | Documentary, men's interest | ||||
2012 | France | French | Documentary, science, history, nature | ||||
2011 | Russia | English, Russian | Russia | ANO TV-Novosti | |||
RTS Nauka | 2020 | Serbia | Serbian | Documentary, Nature, Science | |||
RTS Trezor | 2016 | Documentary, History | |||||
2009 | Russia | English, Russian, Turkish | Nature, science, culture, and history of the Russian Federation | ||||
1996 | USA | English | Space, technology and science | Speculative fiction, non- science shows | The Challenger Disaster, How Do They Do It?, How It's Made, How The Universe Works, Wonders of Life | ||
1995 | Canada | English | Canadian and worldwide independent films, drama, comedy, mini-series | American shows and movies | |||
2025 | Italy | Italian | Adventures and extreme sport documentary | ||||
2007 | UK | English | Arts including, theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music | ||||
2012 | Italy | Italian | |||||
2020 | UK | English | History and society documentary | ||||
2021 | Germany | German | |||||
Italy | Italian | ||||||
2019 | UK | English | Investigation and justice documentary | ||||
2021 | Germany | German | |||||
2023 | Italy | Italian | |||||
2020 | UK | English | Documentary and historical fiction series | Museum Secrets, Ancients Behaving Badly | |||
2020 | UK | English | Nature and wildlife documentary | ||||
2021 | Germany | German | |||||
Italy | Italian | ||||||
1997 | Canada | English | Science fiction, space-related programming | InnerSPACE, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Stargate Universe, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1, Doctor Who | |||
TGRT Belgesel | 2010 | Turkey | Turkish | Documentary | |||
1987 | USA | English | Traveling, how-to travel, hotel and cities touring | Paranormal (haunted places, ghosts) | |||
1991 | USA | English | Legal programming | Reality shows | |||
2009 | Turkey | Turkish | Documentary | ||||
2005 | Sweden | Swedish | Science | ||||
2005 | Poland | Polish | Documentary, History | ||||
2007 | Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music | ||||||
2020 | Documentary | ||||||
2022 | Documentary, Nature, Science | ||||||
2004 | UK | English | Documentary, Nature | ||||
2004 | UK | English | Documentary, History | ||||
2002 | Sweden | English | Wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology | ||||
2004 | Sweden | English | History, culture and society | ||||
1994 | Sweden | Nature and wildlife | |||||
Viasat True Crime | 2024 | Sweden | English, Polish, Czech, Slovak | Crime-related, Investigation and justice documentary | |||
ViJu Explorer | 2023 | Russia | Russian | Wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology | Viasat Russia | ||
ViJu History | History, culture and society | ||||||
ViJu Nature | Nature and wildlife | ||||||
1995 | Canada | English | Primetime movies | ||||
1982 | USA | English | Weather news and information | Documentary programs | |||
1988 | Canada | English | Weather news and information | ||||
2002 (original) 2022 (relaunch) | Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music | ||||||
2005 | France | French | Documentary programming about nature | ||||
2017 | Documentary, Culture, Arts, Music | ||||||
1997 | Germany | German | |||||
2006 | Indian Music |
See also
References