started in 1999 as nba.com tv, the channel, which had its studios at nba entertainment in secaucus, new jersey, began a multi-year deal with american television companies cox communications, cablevision, and time warner on june 28, 2003, allowing the network to expand to 45 million american homes, and 30 different countries. nba tv replaced time warner's cnn/si on many cable systems after that network shut down a year earlier.