On March 2, 2021, Scripps announced that it would launch two new multicast networks—Defy and TrueReal—in the wake of its acquisition of Ion Media and television transmitters shutting Qubo and Ion Plus down across the United States.[1] The channels are part of Scripps's strategy to increase perception among cord cutters that do not have traditional pay TV packages.[2]
The services launched on July 1 with 92% national coverage, mostly on Ion transmitters but also on subchannels of some Scripps local TV stations and by agreement with other station groups.[3]
On March 10, 2023, Scripps announced that TrueReal would shut down on March 27, merging its programming into Defy TV.[4]
On June 17, 2024, Scripps quietly announced on Defy's social media platforms that a refreshed version of Ion Plus would return on Defy TV's channel space on July 1.[5] The A&E programming library would move to a new over-the-air digital network, Dare, owned by the Free TV Networks joint venture.[6]
Shortly before the network's launch on July 1, Free TV Networks acquired the rights to the Defy branding from Scripps Networks and launched a new version of the network at 6 a.m. ET the same day, nixing its plan to launch under the originally announced Dare name. The "TV" portion of the original Defy name was removed prior to its immediate relaunch.[7]
