The Sopranos ran on a satellite network.
A&E ( previously Arts & Entertainment Network ) is an American cable and satellite television channel that serves as the flagship television property of A&E Networks , a joint venture between the Hearst Corporation and Disney -- ABC Television Group subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company ( both of which maintain a 50 % ownership interest ) . Cable television . When available through satellite television , including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV , Dish Network and BSkyB , as well as via IPTV providers such as Verizon FIOS and AT&T U-verse is referred to as a `` satellite channel '' . Home Box Office ( HBO ) is an American premium cable and satellite television network that is owned by Time Warner through its respective flagship company Home Box Office , Inc. . The Sopranos . After the pilot was ordered in 1997 , the show premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on January 10 , 1999 , and ran its six seasons with 86 episodes to June 10 , 2007 .