Ion Television is an American free-to-air television network that is owned by Ion Media. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998 as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented entertainment programming; it rebranded as i: Independent Television on July 1, 2005, converting into a general entertainment network featuring mainly recent and older acquired programs; the network adopted its current identity as Ion Television on January 29, 2007.

Pax TV launched on August 31, 1998,[6][7] with the network's initial schedule being much larger in scope than it would be in later years. At launch, Pax aired general entertainment programming on weekdays from 12:00p.m. to 12:00a.m. and weekends from 4:00 to 11:00p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time. Through an agreement with DIC Entertainment, its schedule also included a children's program block called "Cloud Nine" on Saturdays from 6:00 to 11:00 and Sundays from 7:00 to 9:00a.m. Eastern and Pacific.[8][9] In addition, the network aired religious programming through time-lease agreements with The Worship Network (which aired its overnight programming on Pax seven nights a week) and Praise TV (featuring Contemporary Christian music and other faith-based programs aimed at teenagers and young adults, which aired on Friday and Saturday late-nights from 12:00 to 3:00a.m. Eastern and Pacific until 2000). The remainder of the schedule was filled by paid programming.