Current TV

Current TV

Founded	August 1, 2005
Closed	August 20, 2013
Company	Independently Owned
Notable Series	infoMania SuperNews!

Current TV was an independent media company owned by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt.

The network's programming is derived almost entirely from viewer created content, dubbed VC², in the form of pods. Pods are typically short documentaries which are between three and seven minutes long, with topics ranging from politics to fashion and art. All pods are uploaded to Current's website and voted on by users, who play a large role in determining what pods are aired.

In addition to pods, the network also broadcasts brief interludes with statistical data from Google, "Current:News" news briefs and Viewer Created Ad Messages (or V-CAMS). All of these short-form videos have an element of user creation or interaction. Current TV is the first 24-hour American network based around viewer created content.

Outside of the individual pods, Current also broadcasts several original programs and programming blocks, notably the animated series SuperNews!, comedy news program infoMania (originally executive produced by The Daily Show co-creator Madeline Smithberg) and the music block The Daily Fix.

In 2007, Gore and Hyatt were awarded an Emmy Award for Best Interactive Television Service, an award specially presented during the main Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony. Masa Oki and MySpace founder Tom Anderson presented the award to them on the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.

In 2013 Current TV was sold, and replaced by news network Al Jazeera America.