Country | Canada |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Canada |
Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Blue Ant Media |
Sister channels | BBC Earth BBC First Cottage Life Love Nature Smithsonian Channel T+E |
History | |
Launched | March 5, 2005 |
Former names | BiteTV (2005–2015) |
Links | |
Website | tv |
Availability | |
Streaming media | |
RiverTV | Over-the-top TV |
Makeful is a Canadian pay television channel owned by Blue Ant Media focused on lifestyle programming relating to do-it-yourself projects such as food, design, style, and crafts in connection with maker culture (from which the channel takes its name).
The channel was first launched on March 5, 2005, as BiteTV. Originally airing short-form reality programming, the channel eventually shifted its focus towards comedy programming. By 2013, Bite began airing general entertainment programming before ultimately relaunching under its current name on August 24, 2015.
Makeful was available in 8.5 million households, as of 2013.[ citation needed ] Outside of Canada, the Makeful brand is operated by Rock Entertainment Holdings in Southeast Asia. [1]
In December 2001, Glassbox Television was given approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a Category 2 digital specialty channel tentatively called Short TV, a channel described as "devoted entirely to short form films shot on film, video or created with computer animation. Short TV will showcase Canadian and international cutting edge short form films, from 1 to 40 minutes in length." [2] The channel was originally going to launch in April 2005, but instead launched on March 15, 2005, as BiteTV.[ citation needed ] The channel used the slogan "TV with bite".[ citation needed ] At launch, Glassbox Television held 100% of the channel.[ citation needed ]
In May 2006, BiteTV won the Pixel award from the 2006 Canadian New Media Award in the category of Excellence in Cross-Platform. [3] In April 2007, BiteTV won an International Emmy in the category of "Interactive Channel". [4]
On October 1, 2009, an HD feed of Bite was launched. During this time, it was in free preview. In June 2010, the CRTC gave Glassbox Television approval for an amendment to its nature of service, allowing it to de-emphasize its focus on short-form programming; with the amendment, BiteTV's programming would instead of consisting entirely of short-form programming, must "predominantly" feature such programming. The CRTC also granted BiteTV the ability to add sitcoms and feature films, among other programs. [5]
In response to the CRTC decision, on October 22, 2010, BiteTV underwent a format and logo change, focusing entirely on comedy programming, incorporating sitcoms and feature films to its schedule, including additional sketch comedy and stand-up programs. [6]
On February 13, 2013, another brand refresh for Bite was unveiled, with a new logo and graphics. [7] [8] [9] [10]
In 2013, Bite teamed up with Mondo Media and YouTube to create Bite on Mondo, a program in which content creators pitched ideas for new shows. The pitches are funded through Mondo and use YouTube's popularity to decide whether or not they will be picked up. The winning pitches were broadcast on Bite on August 29, 2014. [11] [12] In October 2014, parent company Blue Ant Media, Mondo Media, and Corus Entertainment announced that Teletoon would air a new series featuring shorts from the program. It was expected to premiere in 2016 on Teletoon at Night, but instead premiered on September 4, 2015, as Night Sweats on Adult Swim. [13] [14]
Before rebranding as a comedy channel, BiteTV maintained a multi-panel visual format that differed from most other television channels, with content surrounding programs being broadcast on the channel consisting a display of on-air promotions and upcoming shows, a BiteTV office webcam, a status bar to show the remaining time left in the show, and a feature called "The Crawl" that contained pointless facts, weird laws, updates on programming, and the PC Chat 2 Screen function.
The PC Chat 2 Screen was a function created by BiteTV that let viewers interact with the channel and other viewers by letting them comment on what would appear on-air within minutes. As with early user-generated content meant for television (mainly seen then on MTV and Tech TV), it was subject early on to contributions from viewers containing either inappropriate content or spam links which were not vetted before coming to air, requiring BiteTV to institute human and automatic moderation to keep content broadcast-safe.
On August 18, 2015, it was announced that Bite would be rebranded as Makeful, described as "a new lifestyle specialty channel celebrating the maker community and the creation of one-of-a-kind, handmade goods." [15] The channel relaunched on August 24. [16]
Makeful currently airs a mix of lifestyle, reality, and documentary programming. Original programming aired on the channel has included Landscape Artist of the Year Canada . [17] Though primarily dedicated to maker culture-based shows, the channel also airs general entertainment programming; such as Whose Line Is It Anyway? , a Canadian version of Hoarders , and Celebrity Family Feud . [18]
As Bite TV, the channel aired various comedy shows, such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia , Jimmy Kimmel Live! , and Warren United . In its final years, Bite would add general audience reality shows, such as Party Down South and Cops .
Cartoon Network is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers.
DejaView is a Canadian English language specialty television channel owned by Corus Entertainment. It primarily airs television shows from the 1970s to 2010s.
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.
Cottage Life is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Blue Ant Media. Operated as a brand extension spin-off of the magazine of the same name, the network originally aired a variety of programming focusing on the cottage and rural lifestyle genre within the core themes of DIY and design, food and entertaining, real estate, and outdoor living. It now primarily airs a limited slate of reality and engineering-focused programming.
Family Channel is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by WildBrain. The network primarily airs children's television series, teen dramas, as well as other programming targeting a family audience. Despite having its own headquarters in the Brookfield Place office in Financial District, the channel is transmitted from Corus Quay.
Oprah Winfrey Network, more commonly shortened to OWN, is a Canadian English language discretionary service channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was launched in September 1, 1999 as Canadian Learning Television (CLT) by Learning and Skills Television of Alberta, Ltd., then held by CHUM Limited. The network's owner, Corus Entertainment, licenses the OWN brand and its American programming from Warner Bros. Discovery.
Food Network, formerly called Food Network Canada, is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel based on the U.S. cable network of the same name. It airs programming related to food, cooking, cuisine, and the food industry. The Canadian version of Food Network is a joint venture between Corus Entertainment and the U.S. network's parent company Television Food Network, G.P..
IFC was a Canadian English language specialty channel. The channel was owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel broadcast independent films, documentaries, and television series. Its name was licensed from the American company AMC Networks, the owner of IFC. The channel ceased operations on September 30, 2019.
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Teletoon Retro was a Canadian specialty channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment that was based on the Teletoon programming block. The service was dedicated to broadcasting classic animated television programs such as The Raccoons as well as some live-action series.
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Teletoon at Night was a late night programming block that aired on Teletoon. It primarily carried adult animation and other programming targeting teen and adult audiences.
A.Side TV was a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Blue Ant Media. Originally focusing on music and pop culture programming, the channel drifted towards generic true crime and paranormal programming before it wound down operations in mid-January 2023.
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The following is a list of events affecting Canadian television in 2013. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel launches, closures and rebrandings.
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