MTMvision

MTMvision was a consortium of American independent television stations and production companies to develop prime time programming for independent stations. MTMvision and its majority owner, MTM Enterprises (MTM), were formed by Mary Tyler Moore. During its existence, MTMvision was considered the de facto fourth television network. MTMvision was also called an occasional television network and occasional program alternative.

MTMvision was founded in 1986, and became MTMcast in 1989.

Operations
Unlike the standard network advertising split, where the stations got the bulk of the ad time with the collective network only receiving one or two minutes of the dozen minutes available to sell, the MTMvision ad time would be sold at 1/3 of network rates or about $40,000 per half minute with the profits going back to the stations.

Background
With primarily only subsidiaries of major film studios providing new programming to TV stations in the 1980s, the independent companies had little studio level quality programming to offer to advertisers. Independent TV stations were also looking for an alternative to the standard distribution company set up that paid the stations about three fourths of the production costs thus the show would only make money for the station if it made enough episodes to place into cable and satellite reruns. Advertisers were looking for new advertising outlets due to rising network ad costs.

History
Jill Barnes, who represented 18 stations for advertising sales through her company Camelot, discussed the independent companies' problem with other independent companies after a broadcast media meeting in February 1986. Determined to offer an alternative, Barnes rounded up a steering committee to form the new venture. Initial members of the committee included representatives of MTM Enterprises, Merv Griffin Enterprises, Gracie Films, and Reeves Entertainment. At the next broadcaster convention, the committee met to develop the details. The committee was initially able to get 22 independent and 53 network-affiliated stations to sign on to MTMvision. Advertisers abandoned the rival potential fourth network, Paramount Television Service, for MTMvision, based on Paramount's near Big 3 network cost per thousand viewers advertising cost and MTMvision reaching 80% of the country. Barnes eventually lined up 93 stations, 73 of which were affiliates of ABC, NBC or CBS; of those affiliated with a network, these affiliates had to preempt part of their regular network prime time programming to make room for specials from MTMvision.