Sky Angel

Sky Angel
Company type	Private
Industry	Media, Telecommunications
Founded	1980; 46 years ago
Founder	Robert Johnson Sr.
Defunct	2019
Fate	Ceased IPTV services in 2014; company disestablished in 2019
Headquarters	Naples, Florida, United States
Area served	United States, Canada (IPTV service in Canada in 2007)
Key people	Robert Johnson Sr. (founder)
Products	Satellite television service (1996–2008), IPTV service (2007–2014), Faith-based TV channels (Angel One, Angel Two, KTV), FAVE TV channel package

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Sky Angel, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 25 July 2025

Sky Angel was a Christian media enterprise based in the United States, delivering three exclusive channels on Dish Network: Angel One, Angel Two, and KTV. The company’s headquarters were located in Naples, Florida, while its programming and network operations were managed from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sky Angel specialized in providing television content centered around faith-based themes.

Initially operating as a satellite television provider focused on religious and family-friendly programming, Sky Angel later transitioned to an over-the-top IPTV service. This evolution included the creation of a separate secular channel package named FAVE TV. On January 14, 2014, Sky Angel terminated its IPTV services, attributing the closure to regulatory obstacles. The company did not meet the criteria of a traditional multichannel video programming distributor, which limited its ability to legally address carriage disputes.

1980–1995: Founding and early development

Sky Angel was established in 1980 by Robert Johnson Sr., with the mission to offer content grounded in faith without objectionable material. Johnson acquired eight direct-broadcast satellite licenses and collaborated with Dish Network to utilize transponder space on the EchoStar III satellite.

1996–2008: Satellite broadcasting era

The satellite service commenced in 1996, featuring a lineup that combined religious networks with family-oriented secular channels. By November 2002, Sky Angel provided 36 channels—20 television and 16 radio—with a subscriber base of about 115,000 primarily located in the Central United States.

On April 1, 2008, Sky Angel ended its satellite operations after deciding against investing $400 million to replace the aging EchoStar III satellite. The company sold its direct broadcast satellite frequencies back to EchoStar and encouraged its customers to switch to the IPTV platform. This decision drew criticism for not offering lifelong satellite subscribers comparable access to the IPTV service.

2007–2013: Shift to IPTV services

On January 22, 2007, Sky Angel teamed up with ShifTV to introduce an IPTV service in Canada; however, this partnership concluded by October due to ShifTV undergoing restructuring. Subsequently, on July 10, 2007, Sky Angel launched an independent IPTV platform in the United States through a collaboration with NeuLion, which expanded channel capacity and included network DVR functionality. Although the company explored internet and mobile television options, these were ultimately not pursued.

In September 2012, Sky Angel unveiled "Sky Angel 2.0," providing religious programming via set-top boxes alongside "Faith Everywhere," a streaming service accessible through an iPad application. They also introduced FAVE TV ("Family and Values Entertainment"), offering secular and family-friendly channel content. By June 2013, Faith Everywhere became available on Roku devices as well.

2014–2019: Exclusive Partnership with Dish Network

On January 14, 2014, Sky Angel ceased its television broadcasting services, attributing the decision to challenges in securing equitable programming agreements with content providers, notably Discovery Communications, which hindered its competitive viability.

Satellite service

Sky Angel once provided satellite television with subscription options available monthly, annually, or for a lifetime, featuring a lineup of 36 channels—20 television and 16 radio. This satellite offering was discontinued as of April 1, 2008.

Following this discontinuation until January 2019, Dish Network supplied a DishFAMILY package (later renamed Smart Pack) that included more than 50 family-oriented channels. This package incorporated Sky Angel’s proprietary channels such as Angel One, Angel Two (which partially aired the Hunt Channel), and Kids & Teens TV. Additionally, several third-party channels from Sky Angel’s catalog, including the Trinity Broadcasting Network, were part of this bundle.

IPTV service

Operating from 2007 through 2013, Sky Angel IPTV initially launched as a Christian-focused television service in Canada. In 2008, it supplanted Sky Angel’s satellite platform in the United States, offering an extensive selection exceeding 72 channels—comprising over 50 television and 20 radio stations. By 2010, the channel lineup had grown to more than 80 and was organized into distinct packages:

The Faith Package: featured upwards of 30 religious TV channels representing both Protestant and Catholic traditions alongside all radio offerings.
The Family Package: included over 20 secular television channels such as CBS Sports Network, Discovery Channel, and NFL Network.
The Family Values Package: combined the Faith and Family packages into one comprehensive offering.
The WebTV Package: provided internationally with a curated selection of TV and radio stations.
BabyFirst: available à la carte exclusively to subscribers within the United States.

Carriage disputes

The shift by Sky Angel to an over-the-top IPTV platform sparked notable carriage conflicts that affected its market standing. In 2009, C-SPAN was removed from Sky Angel’s service merely two days after being added. In response, Sky Angel initiated antitrust litigation in 2012 and again in 2013 against C-SPAN’s parent companies—major television providers—alleging anti-competitive behavior intended to undermine Sky Angel’s operations. Both lawsuits were dismissed due to lack of sufficient evidence. C-SPAN explained its withdrawal was related to contractual complications concerning IPTV distribution and highlighted its availability via free public web streaming.

In 2010, Discovery Communications pulled its channels from Sky Angel’s lineup citing concerns about the delivery method. Sky Angel countered by lodging a program access complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accusing Discovery of discriminatory conduct by allowing other distributors internet access to its content through TV Everywhere or Dish Network’s Slingbox service. The FCC questioned whether Sky Angel met the criteria of a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) because it did not operate physical transmission infrastructure. This regulatory uncertainty underscored wider implications for internet-based video services. Notably, Google—a known FCC collaborator—later introduced its own OTT internet television platform, YouTube TV, in 2017.