An entrepreneur made millions by creating a TV channel specifically for dogs, which soared in popularity after pandemic puppy owners returned to work.
DOGTV is a subscription TV network founded in 2012 by Ron Levi that focuses on the sights, sounds and storylines that appeal to dogs.
The subscription costs annual subscribers $6.25 per month – a small price to pay for the happiness it brings to our four-legged friends, while just under 400,000 dog owners pay the monthly fee.
Founder Ron Levi came up with the idea for DOGTV when he would create YouTube playlists of videos to put on for his cat Charlie while he went to work.
Levi collaborated with scientists, researchers and pet experts to create his channel for dogs. 11 years later, DOGTV uploads new programs every week with a huge library of useful content for dogs and owners. The channel offers various programs, including Relaxation, Exposure, Stimulation and My DOGTV.
DOGTV’s colors have been deliberately brightened to pique the interest of dogs – who are color blind – with trippy music and exotic filming locations also chosen to further stimulate them.
The pandemic caused a huge increase in the number of households getting pets, but now many of those households have returned to work and their pups are staying home for much of the day
DOGTV has seen an increase in subscribers due to the anxious pandemic puppies who are not used to being alone. The channel has special programs that specifically help with problems such as anxiety and relaxation for the dogs
DOGTV is a subscription-based TV service created specifically for gods to watch and enjoy
Founder Ron Levi founded the company in 2012 after putting together playlists of YouTube videos to put on for his cat when he wasn’t home
The TV channel worked with scientists and experts to find out exactly what dogs like to watch on TV – including images, sounds and storylines.
They used more than 50 different studies from universities to find out how dogs watch TV: what they like, what they can see and what sounds appeal to them.
The findings showed that dogs do indeed watch TV, but not in the same way as humans. They don’t binge watch in the same way we do, but they do show interest in what’s on TV.
The network films their four-legged stars the way any TV show is filmed – with a director and camera crew – but the footage is heavily edited, recolorized and scored for the color-blind audience with short attention spans.
A wave of pandemic puppies has been the TV channel’s main customer base and the reason the subscription service has become popular in recent years.
According to a 2021 survey from the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 23 million households adopted pets during the pandemic.
Now, many of these owners have gone back to work — DOGTV has seen 388,000 new subscribers since mid-2020.
Many of the pandemic puppies developed separation anxiety after spending so much time with their owners during the pandemic — a fact that DOGTV has used to create specific programs to reduce dogs’ anxiety and make them less lonely.
Jay Guagliardo and his dog Benny are DOGTV users who overcame Benny’s separation anxiety issues by turning on DOGTV Video On Demand when his owner is away, according to the TV channel’s website.
Guagliardo said, “Our only pup, Benny, has some major separation anxiety issues, and DOGTV has been a huge help in helping us leave him for extended periods of time. We especially like being able to choose from the library and adapt the DOGTV experience to the current situation.’
Thomas also subscribes to DOGTV to keep his dog entertained while he is at work. He said the channel “runs all day while I’m at work, much better than YouTube because it doesn’t stop asking if I’m still watching after 3 hours.” Peace of mind for my dog while I’m at work.’
But DOGTV isn’t just for dogs. According to the New York Times, Levi says his ideal balance is for videos that appeal to 80 percent of dogs and 20 percent of people.
Levi said, “One hundred percent dog might mean showing a dog for ten minutes – five minutes because of attention span – running from left to right with this white background,
Dogs visibly watched DOGTV about 14 percent of the time — which is more than they watched Animal Planet and much more than they watched CNN
“They don’t care if it’s a beautiful location in California.”
That’s why DOGTV producers added scenic locations and exciting backdrops to make their dog-friendly TV appealing to owners too.
Jay Guagliardo – a subscriber from Rochester, New York, told the NY Times that he knows his dogs enjoy DOGTV because if he forgets to turn it on before he leaves for work, he comes home with “a present” on the ground.
Nicholas Dodman, a professor of animal behavior at Tufts University, found in a study that dogs visibly watched DOGTV about 14 percent of the time — which is more than they watched Animal Planet and much more than they watched CNN.