Link TV is the first nationwide television channel dedicated to providing Americans with global perspectives on news, events and culture. The channel was launched in December 1999, on DIRECTV and added to EchoStar's DISH Network a few weeks later. Currently, the channel is available as a basic service in over 29 million U.S. homes that receive direct broadcast satellite television (DBS). The DBS broadcast rights for Link TV were obtained under FCC guidelines requiring the DBS operators to allocate 4% of their channels for non-commercial public service programming.
LinkTV is operated by Link Media, Inc. a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization formed through a partnership between Internews Network, a leading supporter of independent television around the world, the Independent Television Service (ITVS), an experienced supplier of independently-produced programs for public television, and Internews Interactive (InterAct), a specialist in participatory TV programming.
