Canadian Learning Television
Encyclopedia
Oprah Winfrey Network is a Canadian
English language
Category A specialty channel
owned by Corus Entertainment
. OWN is a specialty television service targeted to women, offering a blend of lifestyle, information, and entertainment programming.
through a 60% interest in the company) was granted a television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) called Canadian Learning Television. The channel was licensed to provide "formal and informal educational programs on a wide range of topics."
The channel launched on September 1, 1999 as Canadian Learning Television with a mix of educational and informational television programs. CHUM would later gain 100% ownership of the channel when it completes it purchase of the remaining interest in LSTA on February 15, 2005. The company would later be renamed Access Media Group
.
In 2003, Canadian Learning Television adopted a new logo and on-air presentation. With this change began the use of referring to the channel as CLT in most media rather than using its full name, although Canadian Learning Television remained its official name.
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia
(later CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billion CAD
, included in the sale was CLT. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007.
In less than a year after taking ownership of CLT, on March 7, 2008, CTVglobemedia announced it would sell CLT to Corus Entertainment
for approximately $73 million CAD
. The deal was approved by the CRTC on August 22, 2008. The transaction was then finalized on September 1, 2008.
In October 2008, Corus announced it would relaunch CLT as Viva, a female-focused entertainment and lifestyle channel targeting the baby boomer
demographic. The rebrand took effect on November 3, 2008.
On September 29, 2010, Corus announced it had finalized an agreement to launch a Canadian version of the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in Canada in 2011. Although Corus had said the new channel would involve rebranding an existing channel of theirs, it had not announced which channel it would be, nor did Corus announce a specific launch date. However, in November 2010, Corus officially announced that Viva was chosen to be rebranded as OWN and that it would launch on March 1, 2011. This is two months later than the January 1, 2011 launch of OWN in the United States. During that time, selected OWN programming was broadcast on Viva as well as another Corus-owned female-focused channel, W Network
.
simulcast of OWN's standard definition
feed. It is currently available on Bell TV, Bell Fibe TV
, Rogers Cable
, EastLink
, Vidéotron
, and Optik TV
.
The channel aired a similar schedule to that aired by Access (now called CTV Two Alberta), a television service in Alberta
which aired a mix of entertainment and educational programming, both of which were under the same ownership of CHUM and later CTVglobemedia before CLT was sold to Corus Entertainment.
As Viva, the channel aired a mix of entertainment and loosely-based educational programming to satisfy its CRTC licence requirements, and to that end, many programs continued to be tied to some sort of ongoing course at a Canadian post-secondary institution as it did under CLT. However, with the changeover to Viva, most of the programs had begun with a short introduction from an instructor at the applicable institution.
Under the OWN moniker, the channel continues to target female audiences with programming ranging from lifestyle, information, and entertainment programming.
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...
English language
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...
Category A specialty channel
Specialty channel
A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic....
owned by 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...
. OWN is a specialty television service targeted to women, offering a blend of lifestyle, information, and entertainment programming.
History
In September 1996, Learning and Skills Television of Alberta Ltd. (LSTA) (controlled by CHUM LimitedCHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
through a 60% interest in the company) was granted a television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) called Canadian Learning Television. The channel was licensed to provide "formal and informal educational programs on a wide range of topics."
The channel launched on September 1, 1999 as Canadian Learning Television with a mix of educational and informational television programs. CHUM would later gain 100% ownership of the channel when it completes it purchase of the remaining interest in LSTA on February 15, 2005. The company would later be renamed Access Media Group
Access media group
Access Media Group was a privately held Canadian broadcasting and multimedia group based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada specializing in learning-based media, originally majority-owned by CHUM Limited...
.
In 2003, Canadian Learning Television adopted a new logo and on-air presentation. With this change began the use of referring to the channel as CLT in most media rather than using its full name, although Canadian Learning Television remained its official name.
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia
CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...
(later CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billion CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
, included in the sale was CLT. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007.
In less than a year after taking ownership of CLT, on March 7, 2008, CTVglobemedia announced it would sell CLT to 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...
for approximately $73 million CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
. The deal was approved by the CRTC on August 22, 2008. The transaction was then finalized on September 1, 2008.
In October 2008, Corus announced it would relaunch CLT as Viva, a female-focused entertainment and lifestyle channel targeting the baby boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
demographic. The rebrand took effect on November 3, 2008.
On September 29, 2010, Corus announced it had finalized an agreement to launch a Canadian version of the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in Canada in 2011. Although Corus had said the new channel would involve rebranding an existing channel of theirs, it had not announced which channel it would be, nor did Corus announce a specific launch date. However, in November 2010, Corus officially announced that Viva was chosen to be rebranded as OWN and that it would launch on March 1, 2011. This is two months later than the January 1, 2011 launch of OWN in the United States. During that time, selected OWN programming was broadcast on Viva as well as another Corus-owned female-focused channel, W Network
W Network
W Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. W Network broadcasts lifestyle and entertainment programming aimed at women....
.
OWN HD
On March 1, 2011, to coincide with the launch of OWN, Corus launched OWN HD, a high definitionHigh-definition television
High-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...
simulcast of OWN's standard definition
Standard-definition television
Sorete-definition television is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either enhanced-definition television or high-definition television . The term is usually used in reference to digital television, in particular when broadcasting at the same resolution as...
feed. It is currently available on Bell TV, Bell Fibe TV
Bell Fibe TV
Bell Fibe TV is an IP-based television service offered by Bell Canada in Ontario and Quebec. It is bundled with Bell Fibe Internet, and uses the Microsoft Mediaroom platform....
, 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...
, EastLink
EastLink (company)
EastLink is a Canadian cable television and telecommunications company. In 1970, EastLink was established in Amherst, Nova Scotia, when it was issued one of the first cable licences granted by the CRTC...
, Vidéotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
, and Optik TV
Telus TV
Telus TV is a product of Telus that provides IPTV and Satellite service across the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Telus launched its IPTV based service in November 2005 to Telus customers in select communities of Alberta but is now available in several communities throughout...
.
Programming
As CLT, when the channel initially launched, it aired a mix of formal and informal educational and informational programming in the style of news magazines, talk shows, documentaries, and more. Over time, the channel introduced more entertainment-based programs such as films and television dramas.The channel aired a similar schedule to that aired by Access (now called CTV Two Alberta), a television service in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
which aired a mix of entertainment and educational programming, both of which were under the same ownership of CHUM and later CTVglobemedia before CLT was sold to Corus Entertainment.
As Viva, the channel aired a mix of entertainment and loosely-based educational programming to satisfy its CRTC licence requirements, and to that end, many programs continued to be tied to some sort of ongoing course at a Canadian post-secondary institution as it did under CLT. However, with the changeover to Viva, most of the programs had begun with a short introduction from an instructor at the applicable institution.
Under the OWN moniker, the channel continues to target female audiences with programming ranging from lifestyle, information, and entertainment programming.
Logos
| 1999–2003 | 2003–2008 | 2008–2011 | 2011–present |
|---|