Oxygen (Canadian TV channel)

Last updated
Oxygen
Country Canada
Broadcast areaNationwide
Headquarters 299 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario
Programming
Language(s) English
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Ownership
Owner Bell Media [a]
Sister channels CTV
CTV2
CTV Comedy Channel
CTV Drama Channel
CTV Life Channel
CTV Nature Channel
CTV Sci-Fi Channel
CTV Speed Channel
CTV Wild Channel
USA Network
CLT (2001–2010)
Canal D (French language)
Investigation (French language)
History
LaunchedSeptember 7, 2001;23 years ago (2001-09-07)
Replaced Court TV (U.S. feed)
Former namesCourt TV Canada (2001–2010) Investigation Discovery (2010–2025)
Links
Website Oxygen

Oxygen (branded as Oxygen True Crime) is a Canadian discretionary service owned by Bell Media. Based of the U.S. cable network of the same name, the channel focuses on true crime programming, including original productions and imports from its U.S. counterpart.

Contents

The channel was launched on September 7, 2001 as a Canadian version of Court TV , by Learning and Skills Television of Alberta Ltd., which was then owned by CHUM Limited, although the U.S. Court TV channel became available in Canada through cable and satellite providers as a foreign channel approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in 1997. CHUM was acquired by CTVglobemedia in 2007.

Two years after its U.S. counterpart was relaunched as TruTV, Court TV was relaunched as Investigation Discovery on August 30, 2010, as part of a licensing arrangement between CTVglobemedia and Discovery Communications. On January 1, 2025, after Bell lost its rights to Warner Bros. Discovery factual and lifestyle brands to Rogers Sports & Media, the channel relaunched as Oxygen as part of a licensing agreement with NBCUniversal, maintaining its true crime format. Rogers concurrently launched a new iteration of ID the same day.

History

As CourtTV Canada

In November 2000, Learning and Skills Television of Alberta, a company majority owned by CHUM Limited with a 60% ownership and owners of Access as well access now ctv 2 Alberta today, was granted permission by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a television channel called "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." [1]

The channel was launched on September 7, 2001 as Court TV Canada. [2] The channel replaced the U.S. Court TV service, which was available on many television service providers throughout Canada as an eligible foreign service from 1997.

Court TV Canada logo from 2005 to August 29, 2010. Court TV Canada Logo.svg
Court TV Canada logo from 2005 to August 29, 2010.

On February 15, 2005, CHUM completed the purchase of the remaining interest in LSTA, bringing its ownership to 100%. [2] A year later, in July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later renamed CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated CAD$1.7 billion, included in the sale was LSTA and its interest in CourtTV Canada. [3] The sale and was approved by the CRTC in June 2007, [4] and the transaction was completed on June 22, 2007. In 2008, LSTA (then known as Access Media Group) was wound up into CTV Limited (the renamed CHUM Limited). [5]

As Investigation Discovery

Former logo as the original home of Investigation Discovery, used until 2025. InvestigationDiscoveryLogo2020.svg
Former logo as the original home of Investigation Discovery, used until 2025.

The original CourtTV was relaunched as TruTV in 2008, though the Canadian version continued to use the CourtTV branding. On August 30, 2010, CTV announced a new licensing agreement with Discovery Communications, under which Court TV Canada would be rebranded as a Canadian version of Discovery's true crime brand Investigation Discovery. [6] It is the only Discovery-branded channel operated by Bell Media that neither Discovery, nor ESPN Inc. (via CTV Specialty Television, Inc.), holds an ownership stake in.

On September 10, 2010, Bell Canada (a minority shareholder in CTVglobemedia) announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of CAD$3.2 billion. [7] The deal was approved by the CRTC on March 7, 2011, [8] and was finalized on April 1 of that year, on which CTVglobemedia was rebranded Bell Media. [9]

On June 17, 2011, Bell Media announced plans to launch a high definition simulcast feed of Investigation Discovery, titled Investigation Discovery HD, by the end of the year. [10] The HD feed was launched on December 15, 2011 on Bell Fibe TV and later on Telus Optik TV; The HD feed later began to be carried on Bell Satellite TV on December 13, 2012, then Bell Aliant and NorthernTel in the mid-2010s. [11] The HD feed was added to Shaw Direct's lineup on October 16, 2018. It is yet to be launched on Shaw Cable and some smaller providers.

As Oxygen

In June 2024, Rogers Sports & Media announced that it had acquired the rights to all Warner Bros. Discovery lifestyle and factual television brands in Canada beginning January 1, 2025. [12] Rogers stated that it would concurrently launch a new Investigation Discovery linear channel on that date. [13]

On October 17, 2024, Bell Media announced a licensing agreement with NBCUniversal to relaunch two of its former Discovery-branded channels, with ID becoming a Canadian version of NBCU's true crime brand Oxygen on January 1, 2025. The relaunched channel will retain its existing Canadian original programming, but with Oxygen library programs replacing programs acquired from Investigation Discovery. [14]

Oxygen marks Bell's third active channel partnership with NBCUniversal, following the relaunch of Star! as E! in 2010, and the concurrent relaunch of Discovery Channel as USA Network in 2025; Comcast and Bell Media's predecessors were also co-owners of OLN from 1997 to 2008. [15]

Programming

The channel primarily airs true crime programming sourced from its U.S. parent network (such as The Real Murders of... and Snapped). It has also commissioned several original Canadian productions, such as Fear Thy Neighbor (a co-production with French-language sister network Investigation and the U.S. Investigation Discovery) and Forensic Factor . [14]

Under the former incarnation as Court TV Canada, this channel also aired crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news coverage of prominent criminal cases. This format is continued to be maintained after its relaunch as Investigation Discovery in 2010 and the retirement of the genre protection rules by the CRTC in 2015 while its U.S. counterpart which was rebranded as TruTV which has since then shifted towards comedy and sports programming throughout the late 2010s; Court TV would be revived as a over the air channel by Scripps Networks in 2019.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ branding licensed from NBCUniversal Global Distribution

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citytv</span> Canadian television network owned by Rogers Communications

Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The network consists of six owned-and-operated (O&O) television stations located in the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, a cable-only service that serves the province of Saskatchewan, and three independently owned affiliates serving smaller cities in Alberta and British Columbia. There is also one station using the brand name serving Bogotá, Colombia.

<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.

CTV 2 is a Canadian English-language television system owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. The system consists of four terrestrial owned-and-operated television stations (O&Os) in Ontario, one in British Columbia and two regional cable television channels, one in Atlantic Canada and the other in Alberta.

<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 9 Channel Nine Court in the Toronto borough of Scarborough.

CTV 2 Atlantic is a Canadian cable television channel serving Atlantic Canada owned by Bell Media, with its studios located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc., it operates as a de facto owned-and-operated station of its secondary CTV 2 television system.

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

USA Network is a Canadian discretionary specialty television channel majority-owned by Bell Media. Based on the U.S. channel of the same name, it primarily carries a general entertainment format focusing on television series, films, reality, and sports programming. The channel's license is held by CTV Specialty Television, Inc., with ESPN Inc. holding a 20% share stemming from that subsidiary's ownership of sister network TSN; ESPN is not believed to be involved in the operation of the channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CTV Wild Channel</span> Canadian specialty television channel

CTV Wild Channel is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty television channel. CTV Wild broadcasts a variety of programming featuring animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BookTelevision</span> Defunct Canadian cable TV channel

BookTelevision was a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Bell Media.

<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">CTV Sci-Fi Channel</span> Canadian specialty TV channel

CTV Sci-Fi Channel is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Bell Media subsidairy of BCE Inc.. The channel primarily broadcasts speculative fiction and related programming.

<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.

Cooking Channel was a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel majority-owned by Corus Entertainment. Dedicated to programming related to food and cooking, it serves as a spin-off of Food Network.

Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties.

Access Media Group, legally Learning and Skills Television of Alberta Ltd., which also served as the corporate brand until 2005, 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. It owned four television channels, a multimedia distribution company, and a school for continuing education and personal growth. AMG's headquarters are situated at Enterprise Square in Edmonton, Alberta.

CTV 2 Alberta is a Canadian English language entertainment and former educational television channel in the province of Alberta. Owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc., it operates as a de facto owned-and-operated station of its secondary CTV 2 television system.

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">CTV Nature Channel</span> Canadian English language specialty channel

CTV Nature Channel is a Canadian discretionary specialty channel owned by CTV Specialty Television, a joint venture between Bell Media and ESPN Inc., with minority interests owned by Warner Bros. Discovery via licensee Discovery Science Canada Company. It broadcasts factual and reality-style series related to science, nature, and history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CTV Speed Channel</span> Canadian specialty TV channel

CTV Speed Channel is a Canadian discretionary specialty channel owned by CTV Specialty Television, a joint venture between Bell Media and ESPN Inc., with a minority interest owned by Warner Bros. Discovery via licensee 2953285 Canada Inc. It broadcasts factual and reality-style series related to the automotive industry and transportation.

References

  1. ↑ Decision CRTC 2000-614 Archived 2013-07-07 at the Wayback Machine CRTC 2000-12-14
  2. 1 2 The history of CHUM Archived 2013-10-23 at the Wayback Machine , The Globe and Mail , June 12, 2006.
  3. ↑ Bell Globemedia acquires CHUM Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine ; Fasken Martineau; 2006-07-12
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2007-165 Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine ; CRTC; 2007-06-08
  5. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2008-141 Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine , Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, 14 July 2008
  6. ↑ Discovery to Launch Three New Channel Brands In Canada Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Bell Canada (2010-09-10). "Bell to acquire 100% of Canada's No.1 media company CTV". CNW Group. Archived from the original on 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  8. ↑ "CRTC approves BCE's purchase of CTVglobemedia". Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  9. ↑ Bell completes acquisition of CTV, launches Bell Media business unit Archived 2011-04-04 at the Wayback Machine CNW 2011-04-01
  10. ↑ Discovery Channel and Bell Media Factual Networks Announce Fall 2011 "Must See" Highlights Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine CNW 2011-06-17
  11. ↑ Animal Planet HD, Investigation Discovery HD and Discovery Science HD Launch Today Archived 2011-12-25 at the Wayback Machine Bell Media press release 2011-12-15
  12. ↑ Thiessen, Connie (June 10, 2024). "Rogers scoops Warner Bros. Discovery rights from Corus and Bell". Broadcast Dialogue. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  13. ↑ Thiessen, Connie (2024-08-28). "Rogers outlines plans to launch new channels". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  14. 1 2 Thiessen, Connie (2024-10-17). "Bell to bring USA Network, Oxygen True Crime to Canada". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  15. ↑ CTVglobemedia (November 1, 2010). "CTV and Comcast International Media Group Partner to Bring E!, World's Top Entertainment Brand, Back To Canada" (Press release). Archived from the original on March 22, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
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.