HTN limited itself to broadcasting sports events, including the Stanley Cup Finals, PBA Bowling[citation needed] and special programming, including the Muppets special The Frog Prince,[1] and provided facilities links to a loose network of stations, who were usually independents or affiliates of ABC, CBS, or NBC.

[2] Originally working as chief network coordinator at ABC in 1954, Richard Eugene Bailey conceived of a cost-effective means of broadcasting away Major League Baseball games to their home cities.

[4] In December 1956, Bailey met with sponsors, ad agencies and the baseball teams' representatives at Chicago's Hotel Knickerbocker to get SNI off the ground.

At the insistence of new commissioner Pete Rozelle, the Browns dropped SNI when the entire league signed a collective television contract with CBS in 1962.

[8] In March, 1991, HTN purchased fiber optic transmission services from Vyvx NVN to supplement its existing satellite network.

Ultimately, the league agreed that it would be in the NFL's best interests to sign with an established network, eventually striking a deal with ABC for a lower amount than Hughes was offering.