A
television system is a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
term for a group of
television stationA television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts video and possibly audio to television receivers in a particular area. Traditionally, TV stations made their broadcasts by sending specially-encoded radio signals over the air, called terrestrial television...
s which share common ownership, branding, and programming, but are not legally considered a full
television networkA television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks. Many early...
. Systems may be informally referred to as networks by some people, but are not true networks under current Canadian broadcasting regulations.
In current practice, a television system may be either a small group of stations with common branding, such as
E!E! was an English language privately-owned television system in Canada. Owned by Canwest, it operated from 2001 to 2009...
, A or
CitytvCitytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications, and is Canada's largest television system since Canwest's E! closed down on September 1, 2009...
, or a regional group of stations within a larger network, such as
CTV AtlanticCTV Atlantic is a system of four television stations in the Canadian Maritimes, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of CTVglobemedia.The CTV Atlantic stations are:...
,
CTV Northern OntarioCTV Northern Ontario, formerly known as MCTV, is a system of four television stations in Northern Ontario, Canada, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of CTVglobemedia.These stations are:...
, or
CBC NorthCBC North is the name for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio and television service in the Canadian Arctic. Originally known as the CBC Northern Service, its first operations began in 1958 with radio broadcasts including the takeover of CFYK, originally a Royal Canadian Signal...
, which are legally licensed as multiple stations but effectively act as a single station for programming, branding, and advertising sales purposes.
A
television system is a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
term for a group of
television stationA television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts video and possibly audio to television receivers in a particular area. Traditionally, TV stations made their broadcasts by sending specially-encoded radio signals over the air, called terrestrial television...
s which share common ownership, branding, and programming, but are not legally considered a full
television networkA television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks. Many early...
. Systems may be informally referred to as networks by some people, but are not true networks under current Canadian broadcasting regulations.
In current practice, a television system may be either a small group of stations with common branding, such as
E!E! was an English language privately-owned television system in Canada. Owned by Canwest, it operated from 2001 to 2009...
, A or
CitytvCitytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications, and is Canada's largest television system since Canwest's E! closed down on September 1, 2009...
, or a regional group of stations within a larger network, such as
CTV AtlanticCTV Atlantic is a system of four television stations in the Canadian Maritimes, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of CTVglobemedia.The CTV Atlantic stations are:...
,
CTV Northern OntarioCTV Northern Ontario, formerly known as MCTV, is a system of four television stations in Northern Ontario, Canada, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of CTVglobemedia.These stations are:...
, or
CBC NorthCBC North is the name for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio and television service in the Canadian Arctic. Originally known as the CBC Northern Service, its first operations began in 1958 with radio broadcasts including the takeover of CFYK, originally a Royal Canadian Signal...
, which are legally licensed as multiple stations but effectively act as a single station for programming, branding, and advertising sales purposes. The former type of system has largely, although not entirely, replaced independent stations in the Canadian broadcast landscape.
Systems are differentiated from networks primarily by their less extensive service area — while a network will serve most Canadian broadcast markets in some form, a system will typically serve only a few markets. As well, a system may or may not offer some classes of programming, such as a national newscast, which are typically provided by a network.
Television systems should not be confused with
twinstickA twinstick, in Canadian broadcasting, is a term for two television stations, broadcasting in the same market, which are owned by the same company...
s, although some individual stations might be part of both types of operations simultaneously.
History
The term likely originated in the early 1990s when CanWest Global Communications, then a fledgling owner of
independent stationAn independent station is television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any network...
s airing common programming, began using "CanWest Global System" as a secondary brand for its various stations. Soon after, the
Baton Broadcast SystemThe Baton Broadcast System was a Canadian system of television stations located in Ontario and Saskatchewan, owned by Baton Broadcasting. BBS was the successor to two provincial systems also owned by Baton, the Saskatchewan Television Network and Ontario Network Television .During the 1990s, BBS...
launched as a secondary "affiliation" linking another station group. In that sense the term "system" was intended to give the impression of a full network service without any of the additional regulatory responsibilities, such as enhanced
Canadian contentCanadian content refers to the controversial 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...
requirements, associated with a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)-issued network licence. Much like today's systems, however, both CGS and BBS operated in relatively few markets compared to full "networks" such as
CBCCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Overview:CBC Television provides a complete 24-hour network schedule of news, sports, entertainment and children's programming, in most cases feeding the same programming at the same local times...
or
CTVCTV is a Canadian English language television network. It is Canada's largest privately owned network, the main television asset of CTVglobemedia, one of the country's largest media conglomerates...
.
CGS was subsequently rebranded as the
Global Television NetworkGlobal Television Network is a Canadian English language privately owned television network. It is owned by Canwest Media Inc., a division of Canwest which is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Throughout the 1990s, it dominated primetime ratings in key markets such as southern Ontario, B.C...
but never applied for a network licence from the CRTC. In 2001, CTV surrendered its own network licence. Indeed, as defined in Canada's
Broadcasting ActThe Broadcasting Act is an Act of the Parliament of Canada regarding broadcasting of radiocommunications...
a "network" is an operation whereby the programming of a station is controlled by a different company. As both CTV and Global now own stations serving virtually all markets, a national network licence would be redundant. Nevertheless, such "station groups" are now regulated in much the same way networks were regulated in the past.
Based on their national reach and the very limited differences in programming between stations, CTV and Global are both considered "networks" by the media and by the general public, notwithstanding the legal definition.
In the few markets where CTV does not own its own stations, programming is provided through a network licence that applies only to the applicable markets. Global, meanwhile, simply sublicenses its broadcast rights to local stations (i.e.,
stations pay for programmingReverse compensation, in United States broadcasting, is the practice of a commercial television station paying a television network in exchange for being permitted to affiliate with that network...
, as opposed to the traditional North American model of networks paying stations).
Primary
- A
- Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications, and is Canada's largest television system since Canwest's E! closed down on September 1, 2009...
- Crossroads Television System
Crossroads Television System, or CTS, is a privately held Canadian television system.CTS airs predominantly Christian based religious programming, most notably 100 Huntley Street, The Michael Coren Show and Nite Lite Live, as well as other religious and faith based programming, along with...
- Joytv
Joytv is a privately-held Canadian television system owned by S-VOX. Joytv airs a mix of multi-faith and family-oriented programming in the form of dramas, comedies, news magazines, talk shows and more....
- Omni Television
Omni Television, corporately styled as OMNI Television, is a Canadian television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications. It consists of the company's conventional television stations which are licensed as multicultural stations...
Regional network subsystems
- CBC North
CBC North is the name for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio and television service in the Canadian Arctic. Originally known as the CBC Northern Service, its first operations began in 1958 with radio broadcasts including the takeover of CFYK, originally a Royal Canadian Signal...
- CTV Atlantic
CTV Atlantic is a system of four television stations in the Canadian Maritimes, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of CTVglobemedia.The CTV Atlantic stations are:...
- CTV Northern Ontario
CTV Northern Ontario, formerly known as MCTV, is a system of four television stations in Northern Ontario, Canada, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of CTVglobemedia.These stations are:...
- Great West Television
Great West Television is a television system in regional British Columbia, made up of the following stations:*CKPG, Prince George *CJDC, Dawson Creek...
Defunct
- A-Channel (Craig Media)
A-Channel was a Canadian television system owned by Craig Media from 1997 to 2004 and CHUM Limited from 2004 to 2005. It consisted of Craig's television stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, and was the company's unsuccessful attempt to build a national network.CHUM Limited, which acquired...
- Baton Broadcast System
The Baton Broadcast System was a Canadian system of television stations located in Ontario and Saskatchewan, owned by Baton Broadcasting. BBS was the successor to two provincial systems also owned by Baton, the Saskatchewan Television Network and Ontario Network Television .During the 1990s, BBS...
- E!
E! was an English language privately-owned television system in Canada. Owned by Canwest, it operated from 2001 to 2009...
- MCTV
Mid-Canada Communications was a Canadian media company, which operated from 1980 to 1990. The company, a division of Northern Cable, had television and radio holdings in Northeastern Ontario.-MCTV:...
- Northern Television
Northern Television was the name of a subnetwork in northern British Columbia, composed of two private CBC stations, CFTK-TV, and CJDC-TV. The network has since been disbanded and succeeded by a newer subnetwork, Great West Television...