Allarco Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Super Channel is an English language
Canadian
Category A premium television service. It is owned by the Allard family through Allarco Entertainment Inc.
The current Super Channel service launched in 2007, and is not affiliated with the two pre-existing English-language premium operators which used the name at various times prior to 2001, which are now known as Movie Central
(Western Canada
) and The Movie Network
(Eastern Canada
). The Allards were the original owners of what is now Movie Central, and later re-acquired rights to the Superchannel trademark. Unlike these two regional services, Super Channel is authorized to operate across Canada, making it Canada's only national general-interest pay TV service.
Super Channel is currently available on nearly all major cable and satellite providers including Bell TV, Shaw Direct, Access Communications
, Cogeco
, Rogers Cable
, Shaw Cable, Eastlink
and more. Super Channel was granted as a "must carry" service by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), meaning all television service providers must carry the service on their systems.
Super Channel has positioned itself as a complementary service to The Movie Network and Movie Central. In addition to exclusive movie output deals with major Hollywood studios such as 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate and MGM, they also offer a diverse selection of premium series and niche programming. Their current lineup includes various top British and American series, live concerts, anime, foreign films and documentaries. They also air live championship boxing from Showtime and Hennessy Sports under their "Super Channel Fights" brand.
The network also has program supply deals with Starz, Channel 4
, Maple Pictures
and many others.
Unlike The Movie Network and Movie Central, Super Channel has pledged to reinvest 100 per cent of its profits in Canadian programming, in addition to 32 per cent of revenues annually, and will be spending $1 million a year on marketing these programs.
The Allarco application was approved on May 18, 2006, while the other three applicants were rejected.
The Allard family were also the original owners of Movie Central, which during their stewardship (and indeed up until 2001) was known as "Superchannel" (single word). (For a time in the 1980s, First Choice / The Movie Network had also used the "Superchannel" name under a co-branding agreement.) The "Movie Central" name was adopted shortly after Corus Entertainment
acquired the service, but Corus maintained ownership of the "Superchannel" trademark. Just before the new channel's launch, the Allards re-acquired the rights to the "Superchannel" name under undisclosed terms.
Super Channel was launched on November 2, 2007 on Bell TV with all six channels. In February 2008, Super Channel launched an On Demand channel on Cogeco Ontario systems, since that time, other television providers have added Super Channel On Demand.
Super Channel's parent company, Allarco Entertainment, had entered into creditor protection on June 18, 2009 due to mounting debts incurred since Super Channel's launch in November 2007. On August 31, 2010, its creditors unanimously approved a restructuring plan for the company under Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. The restructuring plan still needs approval of the court, which the hearing will take place on September 3, 2010.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Category A premium television service. It is owned by the Allard family through Allarco Entertainment Inc.
The current Super Channel service launched in 2007, and is not affiliated with the two pre-existing English-language premium operators which used the name at various times prior to 2001, which are now known as Movie Central
Movie Central
Movie Central is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service. Movie Central is designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories...
(Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
) and The Movie Network
The Movie Network
The Movie Network is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service, owned by Astral Media. The service is licensed to operate east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, excluding the territories...
(Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada is generally considered to be the region of Canada east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces:* New Brunswick* Newfoundland and Labrador* Nova Scotia* Ontario* Prince Edward Island* Quebec...
). The Allards were the original owners of what is now Movie Central, and later re-acquired rights to the Superchannel trademark. Unlike these two regional services, Super Channel is authorized to operate across Canada, making it Canada's only national general-interest pay TV service.
Super Channel is currently available on nearly all major cable and satellite providers including Bell TV, Shaw Direct, Access Communications
Access Communications
Access Communications Co-operative Ltd. is a Canadian cable television provider, operating in Regina, Saskatchewan and several other communities in Saskatchewan...
, Cogeco
Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
, Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
, Shaw Cable, Eastlink
Eastlink
Eastlink may refer to:* EastLink , a toll road in Melbourne, Australia* East-Link , a toll bridge in Dublin, Ireland* EastLink , a communications provider in Canada...
and more. Super Channel was granted as a "must carry" service by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), meaning all television service providers must carry the service on their systems.
Channels and content
Super Channel consists of a total of six multiplex channels; four standard definition and two high definition channels, as well as SVODVideo on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
Super Channel has positioned itself as a complementary service to The Movie Network and Movie Central. In addition to exclusive movie output deals with major Hollywood studios such as 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate and MGM, they also offer a diverse selection of premium series and niche programming. Their current lineup includes various top British and American series, live concerts, anime, foreign films and documentaries. They also air live championship boxing from Showtime and Hennessy Sports under their "Super Channel Fights" brand.
The network also has program supply deals with Starz, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, Maple Pictures
Maple pictures
Maple Pictures Corporation is the distribution arm of Alliance Films. It was formed on April 25, 2005 when Lions Gate Entertainment demerged to two companies -- Lions Gate Entertainment and Maple Pictures...
and many others.
Unlike The Movie Network and Movie Central, Super Channel has pledged to reinvest 100 per cent of its profits in Canadian programming, in addition to 32 per cent of revenues annually, and will be spending $1 million a year on marketing these programs.
- Super Channel 1: the flagship feed; general interest films and television series.
- Super Channel 2: actionAction filmAction film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
, horrorHorror filmHorror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, gaming, musicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, extreme sports. - Super Channel 3: documentaries, film festivalFilm festivalA film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
selections, world cinemaWorld cinemaWorld cinema is a term used primarily in English language speaking countries to refer to the films and film industries of non-English speaking countries. It is therefore often used interchangeably with the term foreign film...
, comedyComedyComedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, television series. - Super Channel 4: Canadian contentCanadian contentCanadian content refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requirements that radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of content that was at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to by persons from...
- Super Channel HD 1: a high definitionHigh-definition televisionHigh-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
feed, simulcast of SC1. - Super Channel HD 2: a secondary high definitionHigh-definition televisionHigh-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
feed, including multiple genres. - Super Channel On Demand: a video on demandVideo on demandVideo on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
service delivering content from Super Channel.
Noted series
- ApparitionsApparitions (TV series)Apparitions is a BBC drama about a priest, played by Martin Shaw, who examines evidence of miracles to be used in canonisation but also carries out exorcisms.The series is written by Joe Ahearne.- Episode 1 :...
- The Big CThe Big C (TV series)The Big C is a Showtime original television series created by Darlene Hunt which premiered on August 16, 2010. It drew the largest audience for a Showtime original series premiere in eight years. On September 20, 2010, The Big C was renewed for a second season which premiered on June 27, 2011...
- Burn NoticeBurn noticeA burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons...
- The CloserThe CloserThe Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
- Head Case
- The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd MargaretThe Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd MargaretThe Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret is an American-British sitcom starring David Cross, Sharon Horgan, Blake Harrison, Will Arnett and Spike Jonze...
- JustifiedJustified (TV series)Justified is an American television drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky...
- Memphis BeatMemphis BeatMemphis Beat is an American drama series that debuted on TNT on June 22, 2010 and ended on August 16, 2011. Memphis Beat was officially canceled on October 14, 2011.-Overview:...
- Men of a Certain AgeMen of a Certain AgeMen of a Certain Age is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on TNT on December 7, 2009. The hour-long program stars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula as three best friends in their late forties dealing with the realities of middle age. The show ran for two years,...
- MistressesMistresses (TV series)Mistresses is a British serial drama television programme that follows the lives of four female friends and their involvement in an array of illicit and complex relationships...
- Party DownParty DownParty Down is an American comedy television series created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that aired on the Starz network in the United States.-Conception:...
- PassionsPassionsPassions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
- Peep ShowPeep Show (TV series)Peep Show is a British sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The television programme is written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb themselves, amongst others. It has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2003. The show's seventh series makes it...
- Rizzoli & IslesRizzoli & IslesRizzoli & Isles is a TNT television series starring Angie Harmon as police detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. The one-hour drama is based on the Rizzoli & Isles series of novels by Tess Gerritsen...
- SatisfactionSatisfaction (TV series)Satisfaction is an Australian television drama series which screened on the subscription television channel Showcase. It also screens in the Republic of Ireland on free-to-air channel TV3 and its sister channel 3e and in New Zealand on free-to-air channel TV2 respectively.The series was filmed in...
- SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
- Sons of AnarchySons of AnarchySons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
(initially only current seasons 3 & 4 due to FX Canada having rights to the first two seasons in Canada) - Sordid LivesSordid Lives: The SeriesSordid Lives: The Series is an American television series created, written, and directed by Del Shores and acts as a prequel to 2000 film Sordid Lives, also by Shores, self-described as a "Black comedy about white trash"...
- SouthlandSouthland (TV series)Southland is an American drama series created by writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009...
- Spaceballs: The Animated SeriesSpaceballs: The Animated SeriesSpaceballs: The Animated Series, also known as Spaceballs: The Series, is an animated television series that premiered in 2008 on G4 and Canada's Super Channel, and is loosely based on the parody science fiction film Spaceballs...
- Trust MeTrust Me (TV series)Trust Me is an American drama series that began airing on TNT on January 26, 2009 at 10 p.m Eastern/ 9 P.M Central. In Canada, Trust Me can be seen on Super Channel.Trust Me premiered with 3.4 million viewers....
- The Whitest Kids U' KnowThe Whitest Kids U' KnowThe Whitest Kids U' Know is an American sketch comedy troupe and television program of the same name. The group consists of Trevor Moore, Sam Brown, Zach Cregger, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter, though other actors occasionally appear in their sketches. They were accepted into the HBO U.S...
- Inbetweeners
History
Allarco was one of four applicants for new pay licences that was considered at a CRTC public hearing on October 24, 2005. Its competitors were:- BOOMTV, to be operated by the ArchambaultArchambaultArchambault, a Quebecor Media company, is the largest music retailer in the province of Quebec, Canada, as well as a major retailer of books, DVDs, periodicals, musical instruments, sheet music, games, toys and gift ideas. Its e-commerce site, www.archambault.ca, is the largest French-language...
unit of Quebecor Media. While it was expected to compete directly with the existing general-interest services – The Movie NetworkThe Movie NetworkThe Movie Network is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service, owned by Astral Media. The service is licensed to operate east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, excluding the territories...
and Movie CentralMovie CentralMovie Central is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service. Movie Central is designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories...
(hereafter "TMN/MC") in English Canada and Super ÉcranSuper ÉcranSuper Écran is a Canadian French language Category A premium television service that broadcasts nationally via satellite or cable subscribers. The network is owned by Astral Media...
in French Canada – Archambault indicated that its services would have regularly favoured first-run dramatic series. Archambault was also the only applicant for a French-language service, but indicated that this licence would be worthless without an English counterpart. - The Canadian Film Channel, proposed by Channel Zero Inc.Channel Zero Inc.Channel Zero is an independent Canadian broadcasting and media group, which holds assets in television broadcasting and film distribution.The company is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Ownership structure:...
It proposed to exhibit 100% Canadian contentCanadian contentCanadian content refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requirements that radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of content that was at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to by persons from...
and be funded entirely by the operators of TMN/MC, in an amount equal to 12.9% of these services' gross revenues, to be required by condition of licence. Neither incumbent indicated approval for such a use of its revenues. - Spotlight Television, to be controlled by George Burger, a former executive at Alliance Television, and pro-sports mogul Larry TanenbaumLarry TanenbaumLawrence "Larry" Tanenbaum is a Canadian businessman who is chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment...
, chairman of the private investment company Kilmer Van Nostrand, which proposed a premium service much in the same vein as TMN/MC. It is believed that, had Spotlight's application been successful, it would have been branded as a Canadian version of the American service HBO; an "HBO Canada" channel eventually launched in 2008 under the auspices of TMN/MC.
The Allarco application was approved on May 18, 2006, while the other three applicants were rejected.
The Allard family were also the original owners of Movie Central, which during their stewardship (and indeed up until 2001) was known as "Superchannel" (single word). (For a time in the 1980s, First Choice / The Movie Network had also used the "Superchannel" name under a co-branding agreement.) The "Movie Central" name was adopted shortly after Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...
acquired the service, but Corus maintained ownership of the "Superchannel" trademark. Just before the new channel's launch, the Allards re-acquired the rights to the "Superchannel" name under undisclosed terms.
Super Channel was launched on November 2, 2007 on Bell TV with all six channels. In February 2008, Super Channel launched an On Demand channel on Cogeco Ontario systems, since that time, other television providers have added Super Channel On Demand.
Super Channel's parent company, Allarco Entertainment, had entered into creditor protection on June 18, 2009 due to mounting debts incurred since Super Channel's launch in November 2007. On August 31, 2010, its creditors unanimously approved a restructuring plan for the company under Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. The restructuring plan still needs approval of the court, which the hearing will take place on September 3, 2010.