Editing Paramount Network (section)

=== {{anchor|The National Network and The New TNN (2000-2003)}} The National Network, the New TNN, and professional wrestling (2000–2003) ===
[[File:Tnnlogo.webp|thumb|200px|TNN's logo, between 2000 and 2003]]
In 1999, TNN began to downplay its previous country lifestyle programming to appeal to a wider demographic, including younger viewers; capitalizing on the success of ''[[RollerJam]]'' (a [[roller derby]]-inspired series with elements of [[professional wrestling]]), TNN reached a three-year deal to broadcast a [[ECW on TNN|weekly television series]] from the Philadelphia-based wrestling promotion [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] (ECW), which would air on Friday nights beginning in late August 1999. Under the contract, ECW also agreed to [[revenue sharing]] with TNN for all of the promotion's events (including live shows and [[pay-per-view]]s) and merchandising. These two programs would air as part of a Friday-night [[programming block|block]] themed around [[extreme sports]] programming, alongside ''[[Motor Madness]]'' and [[bull riding]] from the [[Professional Bull Riders]] (PBR); a TNN executive described bull riding as being "the original extreme sport".<ref name="riseandfall-ecw">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYrCt0kt3iYC&q=%22ecw%22+%22tnn%22+%22rollerjam%22&pg=PA231|title=The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling|last=Loverro|first=Thom|date=May 22, 2007|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781416513124}}</ref><ref name="adage-ecwtnn">{{Cite news|url=http://adage.com/article/news/wrestling-choke-hold-cable-fans/58776/|title=Wrestling has choke-hold on cable fans|work=Advertising Age|access-date=January 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/tnn-in-the-grips-of-extreme-wrestling-1117503659/|title=TNN in the grips of Extreme wrestling|last=Katz|first=Richard|date=July 1, 1999|work=Variety|access-date=January 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Extreme Sports|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1999/10/19/liv_273859.shtml#.WlvCYqinGUk|work=Newsday|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111121641/http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1999/10/19/liv_273859.shtml|archive-date=11 November 2012|access-date=January 14, 2018}}</ref>

In November 1999, TNN announced new programming and primetime theme blocks it planned to introduce in 2000, including ''Movie Monday'' (which would target female viewers), ''Action Wednesday'', ''Friday Night Thrill Zone'', ''Classic Country'' on Saturday nights, and ''TNN Outdoors'' on Sundays. The new schedule, along with new series such as the action drama ''[[18 Wheels of Justice]]'', collegiate [[ten-pin bowling|bowling]] competition series ''Rockin' Bowl'', reruns of the Western anthology ''[[Dead Man's Gun]]'', and a new promotional campaign targeting younger viewers, were intended to introduce a broader audience to the network.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/orphan-articles/tnn-overhauls-primetime-schedule/143075|title=TNN Overhauls Primetime Schedule|website=Multichannel News|date=15 November 1999 |access-date=January 14, 2018}}</ref>

Despite ECW reportedly driving a 200% increase in young male viewership in its timeslot, the promotion had a strained relationship with TNN's management—which had given the program little advertising, among other issues. ECW would reference these difficulties in its storylines with its [[Stable (professional wrestling)|stable]] "[[The Network (professional wrestling)|The Network]],” whose leader [[Don Callis|Cyrus]] criticized the ECW program for its content, and showed a blatant adoration for TNN shows such as ''RollerJam''.<ref name="riseandfall-ecw" /><ref name="adage-ecwtnn" /><ref name="Reynolds2010">{{cite book |author=R.D. Reynolds |author-link=R.D. Reynolds |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HFBTUhnc9DwC&pg=PA185 |title=The Wrestlecrap Book of Lists! |date=16 November 2010 |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=978-1-55490-287-3 |pages=185}}</ref>

On September 25, 2000, TNN was folded into the [[MTV Networks]] division based in New York City, and was renamed The National Network. The rebranding coincided with major changes to the network's programming, including the network premiere of ''[[WWE Raw|Raw Is War]]—''the flagship weekly program of the [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF, later WWE)''—''which moved to TNN from [[USA Network]] as part of a new contract with Viacom. As WWF programs were among USA Network's top programs, the move was considered a major coup for TNN. MTV Networks chairman Tom Freston described TNN as now being a general entertainment service, albeit one with a "sort of populist [[Middle America (United States)|middle-America]] flavor" rather than "another network for New York or Los Angeles."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/orphan-articles/viacom-takes-tnn-national/162404|title=Viacom Takes TNN National|website=Multichannel News|date=25 September 2000 |access-date=January 14, 2018}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Downey|first=Kevin|title=The new TNN: T&A, trekking and sleuths|work=Media Life Magazine|date=April 9, 2001|url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/apr01/apr09/1_mon/news2monday.html|access-date=August 31, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930183808/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/apr01/apr09/1_mon/news2monday.html|archive-date=September 30, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[American football|Football]] also became more prominent on the network, as it began airing games of the original [[Arena Football League]] (AFL) with [[Eli Gold]] as an announcer. TNN was also one of three networks to air games of the ill-fated, WWF-backed [[XFL (2001)|XFL]] (along with [[NBC]] and [[UPN]]). As part of its contract, TNN had the rights to a late Sunday afternoon game each week except for the first week, when UPN aired the afternoon game instead. In 2001, TNN aired [[College Basketball on CBS|CBS Sports-produced]] coverage of the inaugural [[First Four|opening round game]] of the [[2001 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=NCAA Tournament 2001 - This play-in concept has potential|url=http://static.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney01/s/katzopener.html|access-date=2021-08-01|website=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> The opening round game would later move to [[ESPN College Basketball|ESPN]] in [[2002 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2002]].

In 2001, TNN added off-network sitcoms and dramas such as ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sitcomsonline.com/dsbroadcast.html|title=Diff'rent Strokes: Broadcast Stations|access-date=June 6, 2015}}</ref> ''[[The Wonder Years]]'',<ref name="originals">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080828201502/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA60419.html TNN Shooting for Lineup that's 50% More Original]. ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'': January 22, 2001</ref> ''[[The Rockford Files]]'',<ref name="originals"/> ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'',<ref name="originals"/> ''[[Newhart]]'', ''[[Hangin' With Mr. Cooper]]'', ''[[Miami Vice]]''<ref name="originals"/> and ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]''.<ref name="originals"/><ref>[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/apr01/apr09/1_mon/news2monday.html The new TNN: T&A, trekking and sleuths] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930183808/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/apr01/apr09/1_mon/news2monday.html |date=September 30, 2007 }}, ''Media Life Magazine'', April 1, 2001</ref> It also became the first channel to air reruns of ''[[MADtv]]''. These moves went unnoticed for the most part, due to TNN's lack of popularity. By this time, all country-western programming had been purged from the network; some of The Nashville Network's former programming was picked up by CMT, while other classic TNN shows were picked up by [[Great American Country]], including eventually the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'', which was pushed off to CMT and eventually removed by Viacom after they did not renew the agreement to carry the series. In 2001, TNN began to market itself as "The New TNN", an inadvertent [[pleonasm]] in its full context.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2003-04-18|title=The Your-Name-Here Network|url=http://www.teevee.org/2003/04/the-your-name-here-network.html|access-date=2021-05-14|website=TeeVee.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=October 24, 2002|title=TNN bucks (rodeo) bull|page=15|newspaper=Elyria Chronicle Telegram|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/elyria-chronicle-telegram-oct-24-2002-p-15/|via=Newspaper Archives}}</ref>

By late 2002, the channel had picked up more male-oriented shows, such as ''[[Baywatch]]'', ''[[Monster Jam]]'', the hidden camera game show ''[[Oblivious (American game show)|Oblivious]]'', ''[[Robot Wars (TV series)|Robot Wars Extreme Warriors]]'', and ''[[Slamball]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Robbins|first=Liz|date=2002-07-31|title=Bouncing to Extremes: Introducing SlamBall|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/31/sports/recreation-bouncing-to-extremes-introducing-slamball.html|access-date=2021-05-14|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>