Viceland (Canada)

Last updated
Viceland
Viceland.svg
LaunchedSeptember 7, 2001
ClosedMarch 31, 2018
Owned by
Picture format 1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
CountryCanada
Broadcast areaNationwide
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario
Formerly calledThe Biography Channel Canada (2001–2016)

Viceland was a Canadian pay television channel. It was owned by Vice Network Canada, Inc., which was owned by Rogers Media with minority ownership by Vice Media. It was a Canadian version of Viceland, broadcasting lifestyle-oriented documentary and reality series aimed towards a young adult demographic.

Canada Country in North America

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States, stretching some 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, with 70% of citizens residing within 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

Pay television or subscription television are subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite television, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial, IPTV and internet television. Subscription television began in the multi-channel transition and transitioned into the post-network era. Some parts of the world, notably in France, Latin America and the United States, have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription.

A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic.

Contents

The network was originally established as a Canadian version of the U.S. network The Biography Channel, as a joint venture between Rogers, Shaw Communications, and A&E Networks. Shaw and A&E later sold their shares to Rogers. As part of a larger licensing agreement with A&E Networks, Shaw launched a Canadian version of Biography Channel's successor in the U.S., FYI, in 2014.

Shaw Communications Canadian communications company

Shaw Communications Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications company which provides telephone, Internet, television, and mobile services all backed by a fibre optic network. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Shaw provides services mostly in British Columbia and Alberta, with smaller systems in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northern Ontario. Through its subsidiary Freedom Mobile, Shaw provides mobile services in urban areas of British Columbia, Alberta, and Southern Ontario. The company's chief competitor is Telus Corporation.

A&E Networks American media company

A&E Television Networks, LLC, doing business as A+E Networks, is an American broadcasting company that is a joint venture between Hearst Communications and Disney Media Networks, a unit of The Walt Disney Company. The company owns several non-fiction and entertainment-based television brands, including its namesake A&E, History, Lifetime, FYI, and their associated sister channels, and holds stakes in or licenses their international branches.

FYI (Canadian TV channel)

FYI is a Canadian English language discretionary service that is owned by Corus Entertainment. Based on the American cable network of the same name, the channel features lifestyle programming, with a mix of reality, culinary, home renovation and makeover series.

On November 5, 2015, Rogers announced that it had partnered with Vice to be the Canadian launch partner for its new television brand Viceland, which replaced H2 in the U.S. as part of a similar joint venture with A&E. Vice Media acquired a 30% minority stake in the Canadian network. After low viewership and profitability, Rogers and Vice announced the termination of the partnership, and the complete shutdown of the channel effective April 1, 2018.

History

As The Biography Channel

Biography Channel (1999-2007) logo.svg
First The Biography Channel logo used from 2001 to 2008.
The Biography Channel.svg
Second and final The Biography Channel logo used from 2008 to 2016.

Licensed as The Biography Channel by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on November 24, 2000; [1] the channel was launched on September 7, 2001 as a joint venture between Rogers Media (33.34%), Shaw Communications (33.33%) and A&E Networks (33.33%)—who owned the network's American counterpart. In 2006, both Shaw and A&E sold their interests in the channel to Rogers. The U.S. Biography Channel relaunched as FYI on July 7, 2014; Shaw's Twist TV became a Canadian version of FYI on September 1, 2014. [2]

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasting and telecommunications. It was created in 1976 when it took over responsibility for regulating telecommunication carriers. Prior to 1976, it was known as the Canadian Radio and Television Commission, which was established in 1968 by the Parliament of Canada to replace the Board of Broadcast Governors. Its headquarters is located in the Central Building of Les Terrasses de la Chaudière in Gatineau, Quebec.

As Viceland

On November 5, 2015, Rogers announced that it would serve as the Canadian partner for Viceland, a new millennial-focused channel programmed by Vice Media, and that Viceland would replace Biography Channel. [3] [4] Vice Media had partnered with A&E Networks (who owns 10% of the company) to launch Viceland in the U.S. as a replacement for H2. [5] [6] [7]

Viceland is a multinational brand of television channel owned by Vice Media, which also provides programming. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016 with two Viceland-branded cable channels; the American version is a joint venture majority-owned by A&E Networks, while the now defunct Canadian version operated as a Category A-licensed specialty channel majority-owned by Rogers Media.

Vice Media LLC is a Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. Originating from the Montreal-based Vice magazine co-founded by Suroosh Alvi, Shane Smith, and Gavin McInnes, Vice expanded primarily into youth and young adult–focused digital media, including online content verticals and related web series, the news division Vice News, a film production studio, and a record label among other properties. In 2015 Vice Media was called "[arguably] a poster child for new-media success—especially when it comes to attracting a valuable millennial audience."

Rogers and Vice Media had already begun to collaborate in October 2014, when Vice announced a CDN$100 million joint venture with Rogers to build a studio in Toronto's Liberty Village neighbourhood for producing original content. [4] Rogers also announced an intent to launch Vice-branded television and digital properties in Canada in 2015. Rogers CEO Guy Laurence described the proposed studio as "a powerhouse for Canadian digital content focused on 18- to 34-year-olds" which would be "exciting" and "provocative". [8] [9] In 2015, Rogers-owned television network City introduced Vice on City—an anthology series featuring short-form content produced by Vice's Canadian reporters. [10] Vice Media was originally established in Montreal, but had moved to New York City due to difficulties in reaching a sufficient scale in Canada at the time. The company believed that Rogers' investment in Vice helped to better achieve these goals. [3]

Toronto Provincial capital city in Ontario, Canada

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the most populous city in Canada, with a population of 2,731,571 in 2016. Current to 2016, the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), of which the majority is within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), held a population of 5,928,040, making it Canada's most populous CMA. Toronto is the fastest growing city in North America, and is the anchor of an urban agglomeration, known as the Golden Horseshoe in Southern Ontario, located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Liberty Village Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Liberty Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered to the north by King Street West, to the west by Dufferin Street, to the south by the Gardiner Expressway, to the east by Strachan Avenue, and to the northeast by the CP railway tracks.

Montreal City in Quebec, Canada

Montreal is the most populous municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec and the second-most populous municipality in Canada. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. It has a distinct four-season continental climate with warm to hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

Pre-launch programming for Viceland began at 5:00 a.m. ET on February 29, 2016 with Bar Talk, an hour-long special featuring Vice Canada's head of content Patrick McGuire, followed by a countdown to the official launch later in the day. [11] [12] [13]

In November 2017, The Globe and Mail reported that Rogers intended to cease providing funding to Viceland in early 2018, citing inside reports of low viewership and unprofitability. Representatives of both companies to declined to comment. [14] On January 22, 2018, Rogers and Vice jointly announced a termination of their partnership. The channel shut down on March 31, 2018, and its licence was revoked by request of Vice Network Canada on April 1. Vice will inherit complete ownership of the Toronto studio. [15] [16]

On August 16, 2018, Vice announced a long-term output deal with Bell Media, which will see its content dispersed across Bell-owned services such as MTV, Much, and Crave. [17] [18]

Programming

Vice co-founder Suroosh Alvi stated that Viceland would view its Canadian productions as being of global interest, as opposed to a regulatory obligation of little interest of non-Canadians; one-third of the network's first slate of original programming was produced in Canada, including Cyberwar and Dead Set on Life . [4] [12] Rogers also contributed original programming, such as the scripted comedies Nirvanna the Band the Show and Fubar Age of Computer . [14]

See also

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Viceland is an American pay television channel owned by a joint venture majority-owned by A&E Networks. It is a part of Viceland-branded television channels worldwide. Launched on February 29, 2016, it replaced H2 on most multichannel television providers in the United States.

H2 is a brand name owned by A&E Networks, used for a sister television channel of History. The brand was debuted in September 2011 when History International in the United States was relaunched as H2. The brand was expanded outside the U.S. since then. H2 in the United States was relaunched on February 29, 2016 as Viceland, but the H2 brand is still used for sister channels to History in other markets.

References

  1. ↑ Decision CRTC 2000-460 CRTC 2000-12-14
  2. ↑ "Shaw Media and A&E to Launch Two New Specialty Channels". Broadcaster Magazine. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Vice Media to Launch Cable TV Channel in Canada". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Viceland content will be made in Canada, for a global audience". Canadian Business. Rogers Media. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "It's Official: Vice Channel to Take Over A+E Networks' History Spinoff H2". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Viceland, a New Cable Channel, Aims to Stand Out". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "A+E Networks' H2 To Be Rebranded As Vice". Deadline. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  8. ↑ "Rogers, Vice Media strike $100M deal to create Canadian content". CBC News. October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Rogers, Vice Media to partner on $100-million venture". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Best of VICE Canada Debuts Tonight on City". Vice.com. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  11. ↑ "This Land is Your Land, This Land is VICELAND: New Specialty Channel Launches with Distinctive Slate of Programming, Feb. 29". Rogers Media. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  12. 1 2 "How a little magazine called VICE conquered the media world: Welcome to Viceland". Montreal Gazette. Postmedia. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Viceland Makes Its Cable Debut". Multichannel News. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Rogers to cut off support for Viceland TV station". The Globe and Mail . November 29, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  15. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (January 22, 2018). "Viceland to Go Off the Air on Canada's Rogers Communications". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  16. ↑ "VICELAND – Revocation of licence". CRTC. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  17. ↑ "Bell Media signs new long-term broadcast agreement with Vice Media". Financial Post. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
  18. ↑ White, Peter (2018-08-16). "Vice Is Back In Business In Canada After Striking Long-Term Deal With Bell Media". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
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