CourtTV Canada
Encyclopedia
Investigation Discovery (also abbreviated as ID.) is a Canadian
English language
Category B specialty channel
. Investigation Discovery primarily features programming related to crime and justice.
Investigation Discovery is owned by Bell Media with the name being licensed by American channel owner, Discovery Communications Inc.
Investigation Discovery is currently the only DCI brand in Canada that does not hold any minority interest in the channel.
In November 2000, Learning and Skills Television of Alberta, a company majority owned by CHUM Limited
(60%), was granted permission from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a television channel The Law & Order Channel, described as "a national English-language Category 2 specialty television service that will feature entertainment programming about police, law, the courts, emergency and medical response teams, disaster and relief operations featuring people and organizations that uphold law and order in our society."
The channel launched on September 7, 2001 as Court TV Canada. The channel replaced the American
service, Court TV, which was available by many television service providers in Canada.
On February 15, 2005, CHUM completed the purchase of the remaining interest in LSTA, bringing its ownership to 100 percent. A year later, in July 2006, Bell Globemedia
(later renamed CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billion CAD
, included in the sale was LSTA and its interest in CourtTV Canada. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007. In 2008, LSTA (then known as Access Media Group) was wound up into CTV Limited (the renamed CHUM Limited).
Despite the American service being re-launched as truTV in 2008 with a greater emphasis on reality and "caught on camera" programs, the Canadian channel remained using the CourtTV brand until August 30, 2010, when the channel was rebranded Investigation Discovery under a licensing agreement with Discovery Communications
.
On September 10, 2010, BCE (a minority shareholder in CTVglobemedia) announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of $3.2 billion CAD. The deal which required CRTC approval, was approved on March 7, 2011 and closed on April 1 of that year, on which CTVglobemedia was rebranded Bell Media.
(HD) simulcast of the standard definition
feed, by the end of 2011.
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 B 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....
. Investigation Discovery primarily features programming related to crime and justice.
Investigation Discovery is owned by Bell Media with the name being licensed by American channel owner, Discovery Communications Inc.
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
Investigation Discovery is currently the only DCI brand in Canada that does not hold any minority interest in the channel.
Programming
Investigation Discovery airs a variety of dramas, documentaries, talk shows, and more focusing on police and security, forensic investigations, crime and justice, among others.Noted programs
- Crimes That Shook the WorldCrimes That Shook the WorldCrimes That Shook the World is a 2006 Discovery Channel television series.-External links:* *...
- Deadly WomenDeadly WomenDeadly Women is a television series first aired in 2005 on the Discovery Channel, focusing on female killers. It was originally a mini-series consisting of three episodes: "Obsession," "Greed" and "Revenge". After a 2 year hiatus, the show resumed production in 2008 and began airing on the...
- I (Almost) Got Away with ItI (Almost) Got Away with ItI Got Away With It is a documentary television series airing on Investigation Discovery since 2009. The show features true stories of people who committed crimes, then attempted to escape arrest. Season 4 of the series is expected to begin airing in December 2011....
- Most EvilMost EvilMost Evil is an American forensics television program on Investigation Discovery presented by forensic psychiatrist Michael Stone of Columbia University. On the show, Stone rates murderers on a scale of evil that he has developed...
- On the Case with Paula ZahnOn the Case with Paula ZahnOn the Case with Paula Zahn is a documentary and news program broadcast on Investigation Discovery and Discovery Channel since October 18, 2009....
- The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
- True Crime with Aphrodite JonesTrue Crime with Aphrodite JonesTrue Crime with Aphrodite Jones is a documentary television series airing on Investigation Discovery, hosted by Aphrodite Jones. The show is very similar in format to On the Case with Paula Zahn. The first season began airing on March 18, 2010. Season two began on March 31, 2011....
- W-FIVEW-FIVEW5 is a Canadian news magazine television series produced by CTV News. The program is currently initially broadcast Saturday nights at 7 p.m...
- Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?Who the Did I Marry is a documentary television series which began airing on Investigation Discovery on November 23, 2010. Season 2 began airing on July 13, 2011....
- Wicked AttractionWicked AttractionWicked Attraction is a true-crime documentary television series on Investigation Discovery which began airing in the United States in 2008. The series focuses on how two seemingly ordinary people can come together to commit heinous crimes, thereby forming a "wicked attraction."-Synopsis:Wicked...
- Note: series list is current as of November 2011.
History
CHUM 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...
(60%), was granted permission from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a television channel The Law & Order Channel, described as "a national English-language Category 2 specialty television service that will feature entertainment programming about police, law, the courts, emergency and medical response teams, disaster and relief operations featuring people and organizations that uphold law and order in our society."
The channel launched on September 7, 2001 as Court TV Canada. The channel replaced the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
service, Court TV, which was available by many television service providers in Canada.
On February 15, 2005, CHUM completed the purchase of the remaining interest in LSTA, bringing its ownership to 100 percent. A year later, 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 renamed 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 LSTA and its interest in CourtTV Canada. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007. In 2008, LSTA (then known as Access Media Group) was wound up into CTV Limited (the renamed CHUM Limited).
Despite the American service being re-launched as truTV in 2008 with a greater emphasis on reality and "caught on camera" programs, the Canadian channel remained using the CourtTV brand until August 30, 2010, when the channel was rebranded Investigation Discovery under a licensing agreement with Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
.
On September 10, 2010, BCE (a minority shareholder in CTVglobemedia) announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of $3.2 billion CAD. The deal which required CRTC approval, was approved on March 7, 2011 and closed on April 1 of that year, on which CTVglobemedia was rebranded Bell Media.
Investigation Discovery HD
On June 17, 2011 Bell Media announced plans to launch Investigation Discovery 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...
(HD) simulcast of the 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, by the end of 2011.