View Full Version : The Failure Of LightTV


Hawkee
07-13-2025, 04:28 AM
When celebrities get really famous it usually means they'll venture out into other projects and that means becoming the president and owner of a TV network and that remains their main focus for many years to come. Take a look at Oprah Winfrey who launched OWN "Oprah Winfrey Network" and OWN became a successful cable network. For actress Roma Downey I think she had envisioned having her own TV network because she saw it as a successful project. And so when LightTV was launched Roma Downey knew that she could turn this new channel into a success and being married to Mark Burnett would help. But why LightTV failed is a mystery in itself. I think Roma Downey had wanted LightTV to compete with family oriented channels like Hallmark Channel and Christian channels like Odyssey Network and INSP and UpTV. But I think LightTV could've lasted longer and survived if they had added more interesting shows and other stuff. But my first view of LightTV was when my mom and I saw it and it seemed to be obsessed with movies and the only game show that they aired was Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader reruns and the cartoons were 80's cartoons like Inspector Gadget and I think LightTV could've added classic sitcoms such as Eight Is Enough The Partridge Family Benson Who's The Boss? The Hogan Family Father Knows Best Growing Pains and Step By Step. But I think why Roma Downey sold LightTV was because she was very unhappy with the direction it was headed and I think they were trying to change LightTV's image. But when Byron Allen bought LightTV he wanted to change it to a channel of his very own. But had Byron Allen not bought LightTV I think it would've lasted longer and be more successful

Hawkee
07-16-2025, 01:44 AM
I also think what LightTV's problem was that they were trying to copy the old The Family Channel "Now Freeform" and Roma Downey felt that this wasn't the image LightTV was supposed to have. But I think had she not sold LightTV to Byron Allen Roma Downey would've been a successful businesswoman in TV networks. But I also think LightTV suffered from too much competition with family oriented channels like Up TV and INSP because for some reason family oriented channels aren't as big as they used to be

Hawkee
07-22-2025, 03:56 AM
I truly think Roma Downey was wrong to sell LightTV to Byron Allen because I think she had more visions of what the channel's direction was going to be. Because when you get the general picture there really isn't another family oriented channel besides Up TV and Odyssey Network and as I mentioned had they added more interesting shows LightTV would've survived longer. But when you look at Roma Downey when she starred in Touched By An Angel she would be a huge household name by releasing albums of poetry set to new age music and wrote books and I think by creating LightTV Roma Downey wanted to branch out into creating her own Christian oriented TV empire and she thought by having LightTV she would become more famous
What is your take on this topic? Do you think LightTV could've survived more and could a more interesting lineup would've made LightTV more successful?