BNN Bloomberg

Last updated
BNN Bloomberg
CountryCanada
Broadcast areaNationwide
Greenland
Headquarters 299 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format 1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed to 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner Bell Media
(branding licensed from Bloomberg L.P.)
Sister channels CTV News Channel
CP24
History
LaunchedSeptember 1, 1999 (1999-09-01)
Former namesReport on Business Television (1999–2007)
Business News Network (2007–2018)
Links
Website bnnbloomberg.ca

BNN Bloomberg is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Bell Media with the name licensed from Bloomberg L.P. It broadcasts programming related to business and financial news and analysis. The channel is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in Downtown Toronto.

Contents

BNN was established on September 1, 1999 as Report on Business Television (RoBTV) under a joint venture of Thomson Corporation, the owners of The Globe and Mail newspaper, Western International Communications and Cancom. Canwest, the owners of Global Television Network, acquired WIC in 2000 while Thomson transferred the shares of its channel to Bell Globemedia where it has been solely owned since 2001. The channel was rebranded to Business News Network in 2007 which allowed The Globe and Mail to regain exclusive rights to the Report on Business brand. After the Thomsons reacquired the Globe paper and Bell Canada regained control of CTVglobemedia (the former Bell Globemedia) in 2011 where it became Bell Media, the channel was relaunched on April 30, 2018 under its current name, under a partnership with U.S. business channel Bloomberg Television.

In addition to BNN producing a large portion of its business day programming in-house, much of the channel's programming was also simulcasted on radio, branded as BNN Bloomberg Radio, formerly by CKOC in Hamilton and CFTE in Vancouver.

As a former Category A service, BNN Bloomberg was required to be carried on the basic service of all digital cable providers across Canada. The channel was, and still is, typically offered optionally at the discretion of providers.

History

As Report on Business Television (RoBTV)

Logo as Report on Business Television used from used from 1999 to 2002 Robtv1.svg
Logo as Report on Business Television used from used from 1999 to 2002
Logo as Report on Business Television used from 2002 to 2007 Report on Business Television logo.png
Logo as Report on Business Television used from 2002 to 2007

The network was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1996 to a joint venture of Thomson Corporation (50%), Western International Communications (25%) and Cancom (25%). [1] It launched on September 1, 1999, as Report on Business Television (although using the abbreviation ROBTv); it was co-branded with Report on Business , the business news section of the Thomson-owned The Globe and Mail .

In 2000, Canwest acquired WIC and its interest in ROBTv. As part of the agreement transferring WIC's interests in Cancom to Shaw Communications, Canwest acquired Cancom's share of the channel as well.

The same year, the owners came into conflict with each other: Canwest acquired the Southam newspaper chain, including the National Post , the Globe's chief rival, while Thomson transferred the Globe and its shares of ROBTv to Bell Globemedia, a newly formed media company which also included CTV, in which Thomson held a 20% interest.

Following threats of legal action from both sides, in 2001 CanWest agreed to sell its 50% interest to Bell Globemedia, in exchange for carriage of a proposed competitor aligned with the Financial Post on Bell Expressvu. [2]

Bell Globemedia assumed full control of ROBTv in late 2001; the channel was then rebranded as Report on Business Television, discontinuing use of the abbreviated "ROBTv" brand.

As Business News Network (BNN)

Logo as BNN used from 2007 to 2018 Business News Network logo.svg
Logo as BNN used from 2007 to 2018

On March 12, 2007, the channel was renamed Business News Network. The name change occurred to give exclusive rights to the "Report on Business" name to The Globe and Mail and for the channel to have its own identity. It also alleviated a common problem with the ROBTv name: other media and viewers called it "Rob TV", rather than sounding out the ROB acronym as preferred by the network.

BNN relocated its operations from 720 King Street West to 299 Queen Street West on December 6, 2010, in the building in which was previously occupied by CITY-TV's CityNews department was located as well as CTV's Much and Toronto's 24-hour news service CP24 are based; all were formerly owned by CHUM Limited. [3]

The Thomson family reacquired control of the Globe (and therefore Report on Business) in late 2010, and CTVglobemedia's broadcasting assets were sold to Bell Canada; as a result, the channel and the newspaper are no longer co-owned, although Bell retains a 15% interest in the paper. Following the merger with Bell Canada, on April 1, 2011, Bell Canada renamed its new business unit from CTVglobemedia to Bell Media.

As BNN Bloomberg

On January 9, 2018, Bell Media announced that it had reached a licensing and content agreement with Bloomberg L.P., under which BNN would be co-branded as BNN Bloomberg — a rebranding which took effect April 30, 2018. [4] The rebranded network collaborates with Bloomberg's existing news bureaus, which include five Canadian bureaus staffed by over 25 reporters. Bell Media Radio also holds rights to distribute Bloomberg Radio content in Canada; [5] [6] [7]

Bloomberg had previously partnered with Channel Zero on Bloomberg TV Canada, which was the U.S. service supplanted with programs covering Canadian financial news; that channel shut down in October 2017. BNN's existing domestic programming was largely maintained upon the rebranding, although the network does carry Bloomberg's business day programs for Asia and Europe outside of the North American business day. In addition, the 1:00 p.m. ET hour of Bloomberg Markets: Americas became a co-production with BNN, with Amanda Lang co-hosting from Toronto. As a result of the partnership, the U.S. Bloomberg Television was once again pulled from Canadian television providers, but the network, as well as BNN Bloomberg itself, can be streamed online by BNN subscribers on participating television providers. [6] [7] [5]

On June 20, 2024, Bell Media announced that BNN Bloomberg (along with sister channel CP24) would move to Bell Media's 9 Channel Nine Court building in Scarborough in the third quarter of 2025. [8]

Programming

A large majority of the programming carried on BNN is produced in-house. Previously, it had been the Canadian broadcast partner of CNNfn, an American business news channel which ceased operations in December 2004. BNN features a televised stock ticker with real-time data from the Toronto Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and many international financial exchanges. In addition to its homebase in Toronto, BNN also operates news bureaus located at the NASDAQ Market Site in New York City's Times Square, and in Calgary.

BNN attracts approximately 5,000 regular viewers daily and has a strong viewership outside of the home (such as in gyms, restaurants and offices) which is not reflected in its ratings. This is a situation also faced by networks with high out-of-home viewing patterns such as CNBC.[ citation needed ] In March 2016, ratings data from Numeris showed BNN had an average weekly reach of more than 1 million viewers since December 2015. [9]

Special programming

The network hosts a series of special presentations throughout the year, including specials for tax and Registered Retirement Savings Plan seasons. In the fall of 2006, Report on Business Television hosted its first "Live On Location" event in Toronto during which a studio audience was featured during two of the network's most popular shows, Market Call with Jim O'Connell and SqueezePlay with Kim Parlee and Andrew Bell. This was the first time viewers had the opportunity to go live in person with the network during its regular broadcasts of Market Call.

In May 2008, the network relaunched BNN.ca, featuring its first online contest called "The BNN.ca $25,000 Challenge". The updated BNN.ca showcased a new video player allowing investors to search, sort and personalize BNN video; and the new player increased availability of past BNN video by allowing viewers to access content for an unlimited period of time online. Other added features on the site included blogs, a "Market Monitor", feature video clips on the homepage, an online stock ticker, features such as "Hot Stocks" and "Guest Picks", stock indices, and tracking of the latest and popular news stories on the site.

BNN's weekend programming consists mainly of repeats of some of the programs aired on BNN's weekday schedule, as well as other Bloomberg Television series.

Radio

Concurrent with the April 30, 2018, rebranding of BNN, Bell also relaunched its Vancouver radio station CFTE (formerly a TSN Radio station) as BNN Bloomberg Radio. The station features audio simulcasts of BNN Bloomberg television programs, as well as other Bloomberg Radio programs. The station is aimed to a national audience for streaming via iHeartRadio. [10] On February 9, 2021, Bell flipped CKOC in Hamilton to BNN Bloomberg Radio as well, after it dropped its own TSN Radio format. [11] In 2023, CFTE in Vancouver was closed and Hamilton's CKOC was sold, pending CRTC approval. The BNN Bloomberg Radio feed will continue to run until the sale of CKOC is completed. [12] On June 26, 2024 the CRTC approved the sale of CKOC and the BNN Bloomberg Radio feed officially ended on August 19, 2024. [13] [14]

Notable on-air personalities

Notable producers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHUM Limited</span> Canadian media company

CHUM Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CHUM had expanded to and owned 33 radio stations across Canada under its CHUM Radio Network division and also owned other radio stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell Media</span> Canadian media company

Bell Media Inc. is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc.. Its operations include national television broadcasting and production, radio broadcasting, digital media and Internet properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CP24</span> Canadian television news channel

CP24 is a Canadian English-language specialty news channel owned by Bell Media, a subsidiary of BCE Inc. and operated alongside the Bell-owned CTV Television Network's owned-and-operated television stations CFTO-DT and CKVR-DT. The channel broadcasts from 299 Queen Street West in Downtown Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CKVU-DT</span> TV station in Vancouver

CKVU-DT is a television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, serving as the West Coast flagship of the Citytv network. It is owned and operated by network parent Rogers Sports & Media alongside Omni Television station CHNM-DT. The two stations share studios at the corner of West 2nd Avenue and Columbia Street in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood of Vancouver; CKVU-DT's transmitter is located atop Mount Seymour in the district municipality of North Vancouver, with additional transmitter link facilities on the roof of the Century Plaza Hotel in Downtown Vancouver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CTV Drama Channel</span> Television drama channel based in Canada

CTV Drama Channel is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Bell Media. The channel primarily broadcasts drama series and films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comedy Gold (TV channel)</span> Canadian specialty television channel

Comedy Gold, formerly known as TV Land Canada was a Canadian English language specialty channel that was owned by Bell Media focused on sitcoms and sketch comedy programs from the 1970s to 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion Television (TV channel)</span> Defunct Canadian television channel

Fashion Television, also known as Fashion Television Channel, was a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Bell Media.

CFCF-DT is an English-language television station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside Noovo flagship CFJP-DT. The two stations share studios at the Bell Media building, at the intersection of Avenue Papineau and Boulevard René-Lévesque Est in downtown Montreal; CFCF-DT's transmitter is located atop Mount Royal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western International Communications</span> Former Canadian media company

WIC Western International Communications Ltd. was a Canadian media company that operated from 1982 to 2000, with operations including broadcast and specialty television, radio, and satellite distribution via a majority interest in Canadian Satellite Communications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oprah Winfrey Network (Canadian TV channel)</span> Canadian TV channel

Oprah Winfrey Network, more commonly shortened to OWN, was a Canadian English language discretionary service channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The network's owner, Corus Entertainment, licensed the OWN brand and its American programming from Warner Bros. Discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stingray Vibe</span> Television channel

Stingray Vibe is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Stingray Digital. The channel broadcasts hip-hop, rap, R&B, rhythmic pop and EDM/Dance music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stingray Retro</span> Canadian specialty TV channel

Stingray Retro is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by the Stingray Group. The channel mainly broadcasts music videos from the 1980s to the early 2010s, with some occasional pre-1980s music videos played at times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MTV2 (Canadian TV channel)</span> Canadian television channel

MTV2 was a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel focused on lifestyle and general entertainment programming aimed at youth and teen audiences. The channel was owned by Bell Media subsidiary of BCE, Inc., with the MTV2 name and branding used under an agreement with the Paramount Networks Americas division of Paramount Global.

CKOC is a radio station in Hamilton, Ontario. It is owned by Neeti Prakash Ray and is part of the CINA Media Group. CKOC is a 50,000-watt, Class B station operating on a regional broadcast frequency, with transmitters located near Empire Corners in Haldimand County, about 25 kilometers south of Hamilton. A six-tower directional antenna is used at all times. The station has a classic hits format promoted as "Superhits of the 70s and 80s".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stingray Loud</span> Television channel

Stingray Loud is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Stingray Digital. The channel broadcasts music videos relating to rock, modern rock, alternative, punk, and heavy metal.

CFTE was a radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. Owned by Bell Media, it last broadcast a business news format.

Bell Media Radio, G.P., operating as iHeartRadio Canada, is the radio broadcasting and music events subsidiary of Canadian media conglomerate Bell Media, a division of BCE Inc.. The company owns stations across the country, including in most of Canada's largest radio markets. The company's programming is distributed to other stations across Canada via its syndication division, Orbyt Media, and it is also the local licensee of the Virgin Radio brand.

In 2007, significant ownership changes occurred in Canada's broadcast television industry, involving nearly every private English-language network and television system. In addition to the shuffling of network affiliations and mergers involving various networks, several new television stations and rebroadcast transmitters also signed on the air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TSN Radio</span> Canadian sports radio network

TSN Radio is a semi-national sports radio brand and part-time network in Canada carried on AM radio stations owned by Bell Media. The TSN Radio brand, and some of the stations' content, are shared with Bell Media's television sports channel, The Sports Network. With the American sports media company ESPN being a minority shareholder in TSN, most of the stations also air some ESPN Radio programming, usually on weekends and/or overnight.

Bloomberg TV Canada was a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Channel Zero. It was a localized version of the U.S. financial news channel Bloomberg Television; its programming was largely identical, but also featured opt-outs for domestic programs covering Canadian business news.

References

  1. ↑ CRTC 96-602 CRTC 1996-09-04
  2. ↑ Samantha Yaffe, "Global, CTV: unite and conquer", Playback , April 30, 2001
  3. ↑ BNN Wakes Up To Opening Bell Today In Brand New Toronto Studio at CTV's Iconic Queen Street Headquarters Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "BNN breaks new ground on April 30 with launch of BNN Bloomberg". BNN. 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  5. 1 2 "Bloomberg, Bell Media strike deal to rebrand BNN". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  6. 1 2 "BNN to become BNN Bloomberg in new deal between Bell Media and Bloomberg Media". Financial Post. 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  7. 1 2 "BNN to rebrand as 'BNN Bloomberg' through new Bell Media-Bloomberg Media partnership". BNN. 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  8. ↑ Takagi, Andy (2024-06-20). "CP24 leaving Queen Street, moving to Bell Media's Scarborough studios in October". Toronto Star. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  9. ↑ "Currency That Counts: BNN Grows to More Than 1 Million Canadians Reached per Week, as BNN.ca Tops Canadian Competitors with Visitor Time Spent". The Lede - Bell Media. Bell Media. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Patrick (April 18, 2018). "TSN 1410 is ditching sports, rebranding as business radio". The Province . Postmedia . Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Bell cancels all-sports radio format on channels in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Hamilton". CBC News. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  12. ↑ Bell Media Shuts 6 AMs, to Sell 3 Others, as Part of Companywide Cuts
  13. ↑ CRTC 2024-139 CRTC 2024-06-26
  14. ↑ CKOC & CKWW Relaunch With Classic Hits RadioInsight. 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.