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Type of site | Internet television package |
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Available in | English |
Headquarters | |
Area served | Canada (nationwide) |
Owner | Corus Entertainment |
URL | www |
Launched | June 3, 2019, 5 years ago |
StackTV (stylized in all-caps as STACKTV) is a Canadian subscription video streaming package offered by Corus Entertainment. It was announced on June 3, 2019 and was originally offered through Amazon's Prime Video Channels; the offering launched shortly thereafter as an add-on for Amazon Prime subscribers. [1] [2]
StackTV functions similarly to a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD, or "Live TV" service), providing access to Corus-owned television channels, including both live linear feeds and on-demand programming during Corus' term of license. The service is intended for cord-cutters; [2] providing access to Corus' linear channels through over-the-top media services without the need for a traditional TV service subscription (unlike the Global TV app, which requires an authenticated subscription through a cable service provider). In contrast to the defunct subscription streaming service Shomi (which was operated as a joint venture between Rogers Sports & Media and Corus' sister company, Shaw Communications), [3] StackTV initially offered no exclusive programming beyond that seen on Corus's linear networks and their own on-demand content.
StackTV is one of two, Canadian-based, Live TV services; RiverTV would launch a year later in 2020.
In December 2021, StackTV premiered Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas day-and-date with Peacock in the United States, prior to its linear premiere on W Network the following month. [4] [5]
In January 2022, Corus announced plans to offer StackTV through Rogers Cable's IPTV-based Ignite TV and SmartStream services. [6]
In February 2022, the Canadian version of Lifetime was added to the service. [7]
StackTV added the Disney-branded Corus channels (Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD) in December 2022.[ citation needed ]
Channels currently offered through the service as of March 2023 include: [1]
Corus announced in June 2020 that the service had achieved 200,000 subscribers, with executives saying the service had become a "meaningful part of [the company's] portfolio". [8] By June 2021, the combined number of subscribers to StackTV and Corus' other Amazon-based service, Nick+, had increased to over 600,000 subscribers, similar to those of other streaming services. [9]
Lifetime is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel based on the eponymous American basic cable channel owned by Showcase Television Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. It broadcasts films, television shows and reality series aimed at women.
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media, television production, and distribution company. The company was founded in 1987 as Shaw Radio Ltd. as a subsidiary of Shaw Communications and was spun-off from Shaw in 1999. It has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. Corus is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Ontario.
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from sister network YTV's former programming block, "The Treehouse". The channel is owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Having launched on November 1, 1997, it is the first full-day preschool-oriented TV channel in Canada.
Crave is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc.
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.
Starz is a Canadian English language premium television network owned by Bell Media.
HBO is a Canadian premium television network from Crave, which is owned by Bell Media under license from Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel is primarily devoted to original programming and special events sourced from the HBO and Cinemax subscription services in the U.S., as well as domestic motion pictures.
Nickelodeon is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel based on the American cable network of the same name owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidairy of Corus Entertainment under a brand licensing agreement with Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global.
Shomi was a Canadian subscription video on demand service jointly owned by Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, in operation from 2014 to 2016. The service was viewed as a Canadian-based competitor to Netflix, with a library of 1,200 films and 11,000 hours' worth of television programs available on launch. Shomi content could be accessed as an over-the-top service through the service's website and apps, or through the video-on-demand libraries of participating television providers. The service emphasized manually curated categories of content, in contrast to the algorithmic approach used by competing services.
Crave is a Canadian subscription video on demand service owned by Bell Media. The service competes directly with other subscription-based over-the-top streaming services operating in Canada, primarily against American-based services.
Disney Jr. is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment which launched on December 1, 2015. It is a localized version of the U.S. network of the same name operated under license from Disney Branded Television, a division of The Walt Disney Company which broadcasts animated programming aimed at children and preschoolers ages 2 to 8.
Disney Channel is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment under license from The Walt Disney Company, which began broadcasting on September 1, 2015. It is a localized version of the U.S. basic cable network of the same name. broadcasting live-action and animated programming aimed at children and teenagers between the ages of 9 and 18.
La Chaîne Disney is a Canadian French-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment under license from The Walt Disney Company, and launched on September 1, 2015, replacing Télétoon Rétro. It is a localized version of the U.S. subscription network Disney Channel, broadcasting live-action and animated programming aimed at children in French in Canada.
Disney XD is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment which launched on December 1, 2015. It is a localized version of the U.S. network of the same name operated under license from Disney Branded Television, a division of The Walt Disney Company which broadcasts live-action and animated programming aimed at kids between the ages of 6 and 15.
DisneyNow is a TV Everywhere platform offered by Disney Branded Television. The service offers programming from Disney Channel, Disney Jr, and Disney XD for subscribers to the three networks on television providers.
RiverTV is a Canadian OTT internet television service owned by VMedia that launched on June 4, 2020. RiverTV is a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD), primarily offering Canadian specialty channels and video on demand content.
Struum is an online streaming platform headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The service focuses on leveraging a credit-based subscription model that combines the content libraries from over 25 different streaming services.
In June 2024, Rogers Communications announced a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), under which it will hold the rights to the channel brands and programming of WBD's factual and lifestyle television networks. The agreement will trigger a major re-alignment of Canadian specialty television, ending the long-term associations between the brands of WBD predecessors Discovery, Inc. and Scripps Networks Interactive with Bell Media and Corus Entertainment respectively.