In 1995, Viacom and Chris-Craft Industries' United Television launched United Paramount Network (UPN) with Star Trek: Voyager as its flagship series, fulfilling Barry Diller's plan for a Paramount network from 25 years earlier.
Five of PSG's original six stations, along with several acquisitions such as WSBK-TV in Boston,[2] became charter affiliates of the network when UPN launched in January 1995.
The company eventually divested itself of the CBS and NBC stations it held and purchased more UPN affiliates as the 1990s continued.
Included in the deal was to continue selling UPN Star Trek: Voyager instead of placing it in syndication.
When WWOR, channel 9 in New York City became a UPN affiliate in 1995, the WWOR EMI Service also covered up the network's shows, due to Paramount (although the network's sole owner-turned-half owner Chris-Craft owned the station) using syndication exclusivity to keep UPN's shows off the national WWOR feed—in contrast, rival superstation WGN carried programming from The WB Television Network on its national feed until nationwide terrestrial coverage was deemed sufficient to discontinue its carriage over the national WGN feed in October 1999.
Because of a regulation upheld by the FCC years ago, prohibiting companies from owning two broadcast networks.
Almost all were science fiction films, and likewise, their after-airing availability on home video was exclusive to Blockbuster stores.
The show featured mostly older Hollywood action and comedy films, often those made by Paramount Pictures.
Movie Trailer was discontinued in 2000 to give stations that opted for them room for a second weekend run of Star Trek: Enterprise and America's Next Top Model (and later, Veronica Mars).
The low-key closure was not surprising given that in nine media markets, including the three largest, UPN was not available because the local affiliates were owned by Fox Television Stations and switched to its new network, MyNetworkTV, on September 5.