Teletoon Retro

Last updated
Teletoon Retro
Teletoon Retro.svg
Logo used from 2013 to 2015
Country Canada
Broadcast areaNationwide
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format 1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner Corus Entertainment
Sister channels Boomerang (Canadian TV channel
Télétoon
Teletoon
Télétoon Rétro
History
LaunchedMarch 1, 2000; 15 years ago
ClosedSeptember 1, 2015; 8 years ago
Replaced by Boomerang (Canadian TV channel) (most providers)

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.

Contents

Along with its French-language sister channel Télétoon Rétro, it was available in over nine million Canadian households as of 2013; together it had the most subscribers among the digital Canadian specialty channels. [1]

Teletoon Retro was shut down on September 1, 2015, with Cartoon Network inheriting the service's CRTC license and some of its carriage agreements. That channel would later relaunch under Cartoon Network's own classic animation brand Boomerang in 2023.

History

Teletoon Retro started as a programming block on Teletoon. On November 24, 2000, Teletoon Canada was given approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a national English language category 2 specialty channel named Teletoon Retro. [2] The channel never made it to air.

The Teletoon Retro logo used from October 1, 2007, to February 4, 2013. Teletoonretro.svg
The Teletoon Retro logo used from October 1, 2007, to February 4, 2013.

Plans to launch the channel arose again in 2005, when on October 25, Teletoon Canada was given approval again to launch Teletoon Retro. [3] The channel was launched at 6:00 PM EST on October 1, 2000, across all major television providers with its very first program being The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show . To coincide with the channel's launch, Teletoon briefly relaunched the Retro programming block. [4] A French language counterpart, titled Télétoon Rétro, which had been given approval to be launched at the same time as Teletoon Retro, was launched on September 4, 2001. [5]

On February 4, 2013, the channel underwent a refresh with new graphics and bumpers created by John Lee, retiring the "television sets" era from 2009 to 2013. In addition, the channel also underwent a new logo, and the male announcer (still used on its parent network) was retired and replaced with a female announcer.

On March 4, 2013, Corus Entertainment announced that it would acquire Astral Media's 50% ownership interest in Teletoon Canada (owner of Teletoon, Télétoon, Teletoon Retro, Télétoon Rétro, and Cartoon Network), along with several other properties. The purchase was in relation to Bell Media's pending takeover of Astral (which had earlier been rejected by the CRTC in October 2012, but was restructured to allow the sale of certain Astral Media properties in order to allow the purchase to clear regulatory hurdles). [6] Corus's purchase was cleared by the Competition Bureau two weeks later on March 18. [7]

On December 20, 2013, the CRTC approved Corus's full ownership of Teletoon Canada [8] [9] and it was purchased by Corus on January 1, 2014. [10] The channel continues to be owned by Teletoon Canada, now wholly owned by Corus Entertainment under its Corus Kids division. [11] [12]

On March 1, 2014, a high definition simulcast of the channel was launched. The only two providers to carry it were Cogeco and Bell Fibe TV.[ citation needed ] Shaw Direct, SaskTel, Bell MTS, and Telus Optik TV never launched the feed in time.

In August 2015, Teletoon Retro's website announced that the channel would be shut down effective September 1, 2015; some of its programming was moved to the main Teletoon network. [13] On some providers, Teletoon Retro was replaced by either Disney Channel [14] or Cartoon Network. [15] The transition was legally structured so that Cartoon Network would cease to exist as a separately-licensed service as of September 1, 2015, and henceforth operate under Teletoon Retro's category B license instead. [16] [17]

Cartoon Network was ultimately relaunched as a Canadian version of Boomerang on March 27, 2023, [18] thus returning a classic animation format to the former Teletoon Retro channel space.

Former programming

Teletoon Retro primarily aired classic animated programming; its CRTC license specified that programming had to have been produced at least 10 years prior. While primarily devoted to animation, its CRTC license allowed as much as 10% of its programming to be live action and animated cartoons such as The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show , Scooby-Doo , The Flintstones and others; [2] as such, it also aired some live-action series, such as Batman , Fraggle Rock , and Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers . The network also aired 1980s action-genre cartoons: Transformers , He-Man and the Masters of the Universe , She-Ra: Princess of Power , ThunderCats , G.I. Joe , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Inspector Gadget . [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Astral Media Inc. was a Canadian media conglomerate. It was Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 84 radio stations in eight provinces. Astral was also a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, with 23 specialty channels and two conventional stations. In addition, Astral had a presence in out-of-home advertising.

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

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.

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

DejaView is a Canadian English language specialty television channel owned by Corus Entertainment. It primarily airs television shows from the 1970s to 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corus Entertainment</span> Canadian media/broadcasting company

Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media 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.

<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">Family Channel (Canadian TV channel)</span> Canadian cable channel

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.

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

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.

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

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..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SériesPlus</span> Canadian French television channel

SériesPlus is a Canadian French language specialty channel devoted to French-language scripted comedy and dramatic programming. The channel is owned by Corus Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Télétoon</span> Canadian French-language childrens TV channel

Télétoon is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Launched on September 8, 1997, the channel broadcasts animated series aimed at kids, teens, and adults. Its name is a portmanteau of "télévision" and "cartoon".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historia (TV channel)</span> French-Canadian cable channel

Historia is a Canadian discretionary service owned by Corus Entertainment. The network broadcasts French-language programming related to history and historical fiction, and is a sister network to the English-language History; both channels operate as Canadian licensees of the U.S. network History.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Télétoon Rétro</span> Former Canadian French television channel

Télétoon Rétro was a Canadian French language Category B specialty television channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was based on the former Télétoon programming block Télétoon Retro and was dedicated to broadcasting French-dubbed animated series that had premiered on television at least 10 years prior to their airing on Télétoon Retro. Along with its English language sister station, Teletoon Retro, combined, both were available in over 9 million Canadian households as of 2013, having the most subscribers among the digital Canadian specialty channels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon (Canadian TV channel)</span> Childrens TV channel in Canada

Nickelodeon is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel based on the American cable network of the same name owned by Corus Entertainment under a brand licensing agreement with Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global.

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

ABC Spark is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was launched on March 26, 2012, replacing the declining channel Dusk.

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

Boomerang is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. It is a licensed version of the U.S. channel of the same name, which primarily broadcasts animated programming from the Warner Bros. Animation library, including Warner Bros. Cartoons and Hanna-Barbera productions among others, as well as contemporary reboots of classic franchises. The channel also occasionally broadcasts reruns of Cartoon Network original series.

Adult Swim is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Showcase Television, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily airs animated and live-action comedies targeting a teenage and young adult audience. Its branding is licensed from the Adult Swim programming block broadcast by Warner Bros. Discovery's Cartoon Network; it is the first full-time television channel to use the "Adult Swim" brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Channel (Canadian TV channel)</span> Canadian youth-targeted television channel

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 between the ages of 9 and 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Chaîne Disney</span> Canadian French television channel

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.

References

  1. "TELETOON Canada Inc. | TELETOON Retro Now Nine Million Subscribers Strong". Newswire.ca. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  2. 1 2 Decision CRTC 2000-697; CRTC; 2000-12-14
  3. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2005-511; CRTC; 2005-10-25
  4. "TELETOON Launches New Digital Channel "TELETOON Retro"". September 4, 2007.
  5. Teletoon Retro launches for francophones; Media In Canada; 2008-06-12
  6. BCE to sell assets to Corus as part of Astral deal, The Globe and Mail (via Reuters and The Canadian Press), March 4, 2013.
  7. The Canadian Press (uncredited staff) (2013-03-18). "Competition Bureau clears Corus acquisition of Astral assets". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  8. Vessing, Etan (2013-12-20). "Corus/Teletoon Deal Approved by CRTC". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
  9. "Press Release - Corus Entertainment Receives CRTC Approval on TELETOON Canada Inc., Historia and Séries+ Acquisitions". Corusent.com. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  10. "Press Release - Corus Entertainment Completes Purchase of Historia, Séries+ and TELETOON Canada Inc". Corusent.com. 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  11. "Ownership Chart 32b" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  12. Jeremy Dickson (2014-02-10). "Corus unveils Teletoon integration plan". Kidscreen. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  13. "Throwback cartoon network Teletoon Retro to shut down at the end of the month". The Canadian Press. August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  14. "Changes to Kids Channels". VMedia. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  15. "Channel news and previews". SaskTel. Retrieved 1 September 2015. Cartoon Network (currently channel 98/398 HD) is being moved to channel 46/346 HD. It will be moved out of the Kids Theme Pack and will be available as part of the Basic maxTV package. The Cartoon Network will continue to carry the same programming.
  16. "Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2015-451". CRTC. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  17. "Corus ownership chart" (PDF). CRTC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  18. Kolm, Josh. "Corus rebrands its animation networks, taking Teletoon off linear TV". Media in Canada. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  19. "Television Program Logs". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2016-03-02.[ dead link ] Alt URL