Country | Canada |
---|---|
Broadcast area | National |
Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Programming | |
Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed) |
Timeshift service | YTV East G3 |
Ownership | |
Owner | Corus Entertainment |
Parent | YTV Canada, Inc. |
Sister channels | Nickelodeon Treehouse TV |
History | |
Launched | September 1, 1988 |
Links | |
Website | www |
Availability | |
Streaming media | |
StackTV | Internet Protocol television |
YTV is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by YTV Canada, Inc. a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. [1] The channel and its programming is targeted at children and young teenagers; consisting of both original live-action and animated television series, movies, and third-party shows from various international markets, mainly from U.S.-based kids networks such as Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network. Its name was originally thought to be an abbreviation for "Youth Television", though the channel's website has denied this. [2]
The channel was launched on September 1, 1988 by owners Rogers Media and CUC Broadcasting upon launch. In 1995, Shaw Communications acquired CUC's 34% stake and in 1998, it acquired Rogers' remaining interest of the channel, before Shaw's media division was spun off to form Corus Entertainment in 1999.
YTV operates two time shifted feeds, running on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules, and is available in over 11.0 million households in Canada as of 2013. [3]
The channel was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1987 by Rogers Cable and CUC Broadcasting. [4] [5]
The channel launched on September 1, 1988, at 7:00 p.m. with the first program being a special party celebrating the launch of YTV, hosted by John Candy. [6] At launch, Rogers held 75% of the channel while CUC owned 25%. [5]
In 1994, the stakes of YTV's ownership was changed, with CUC now owning 34% and Rogers now owning 66%. However, in 1995, Calgary-based Shaw Communications acquired CUC's stake of 34% ownership of YTV. By 1998, Shaw had secured full control of YTV. In 1999, the media assets of Shaw were spun off to form Corus Entertainment. [5]
Two Corus specialty channel applications for YTV extensions, YTV POW!, an internationally sourced kids' action, adventure and superhero genre, and YTV OneWorld, targeting children and teenagers from age 9 to 17 with travel, humour, games, and STEM were approved on September 18, 2008. [7] The YTV Oneworld license was used to launch Nickelodeon Canada. [8]
On January 11, 2011, a high-definition feed was launched. [9]
Current YTV original programming include hosted programming blocks, such as The Zone . In addition to original programming, YTV has historically acquired and co-produced programming with the U.S cable network Nickelodeon. [10]
Initially, YTV utilized computer-generated graphics in their network IDs, which were normally set against different sky backgrounds that changed depending on the time of day. The channel also started using various slogans ("The Spirit of Youth", "Young as You Are!", "The Youth Channel" and "Canada's Youth Channel") to promote and reflect their youth demographic at the time.
Over the years, the channel continued to revise their branding and promotional material. In 1993, a number of different on-air logos were taken effect, which features the logo's text placed atop of random objects. One logo variant used on production credits (and presumably the "official" logo) features an arrangement of the logo's text placed on a red screen of a stylized purple television set. In December 1994, the YTV text was changed, arranged the same way as before, though with an altered design of the TV background and logotype.
In the fall of 1998, YTV started to use a Nickelodeon-style "gross-out" factor in its branding and adopted a new slogan, "Keep It Weird". The logo was changed again in September 2000 with the TV background dropped and the YTV text modified. The channel continued utilizing various on-air logos featuring the same arrangement of the logo's text, this time on various bizarre and imaginative creatures. Many of the channel’s promos from this period often focused on promoting the brand through crude humour, often at the expense of the programs being advertised. As this advertising style permeated the station at all hours of the day, it was heavily criticized, especially by older fans of the station.
As a response, a new post-6:00 p.m. advertising style was developed for older audiences, which used a much simpler logo (similar to the current logo used today) and sleeker packaging with reduced "gross-out" tactics. Introduced on September 5, 2005, the simple logo (designed by Troika Design Group) first appeared on YTV's promos and even appeared on credits of newer original programming before being later adopted for the entire channel in 2007, replacing the creatures that had been used in rotation during the channel’s daytime hours.
On August 31, 2009, the logo was changed slightly to have featured new colours, and the background was simplified. The bumpers were reduced and were later replaced by opaque digital on-screen graphics telling viewers which programs are coming next, and promotions of the programs. As part of slightly updated look in September 2012, the colour variants were dropped, leaving only the blue variation.
On October 6, 2014, the channel underwent a brand refresh, with new graphics and bumps created by the Toronto-based Eloisa Iturbe Studio. In addition, the channel updated its logo by having it face upwards to the left instead of directly to the audience. [25]
Beginning in September 1990, YTV called their program jockeys as "PJs" in the same vein as disc jockey (DJ) or video jockey (VJ). [26] Current hosts of these segments have since dropped the moniker as of the mid-1990s. On April 29, 2023, Corus dropped all program jockeys due to cuts from Corus CEO Doug Murphy. However, all final 3 hosts (Spencer, Kelsey, & Melony) still make appearances on social media.
Treehouse is a Category A cable and satellite specialty channel which airs programming targeted to preschoolers ages six and younger. It launched on November 1, 1997. [48] The channel's name is taken from YTV's now-defunct children's programming block, The Treehouse. Treehouse is carried nationwide throughout Canada and it broadcasts its programming without commercial interruption.
Nickelodeon is a Category B cable and satellite specialty channel that was launched on November 2, 2009, and is based on the U.S. cable channel Nickelodeon. Like its counterparts in the U.S. and elsewhere, Nickelodeon airs programs, including both live action series and animation, aimed at children to younger teenagers, specifically targeted to ages 7–11.
In July 2005, Corus Entertainment partnered up with Comcast Corporation to launch a cable video-on-demand service called "Vortex on Demand" in the U.S. The deal consisted of 393 30-minute animated TV series from the Nelvana library; it aired programs such as Cadillacs & Dinosaurs and Medabots . [49] [50] The service was discontinued in mid-2007.
In 2008, Corus Entertainment started offering a video-on-demand service called "Bionix On Demand" to Canadian cable providers. Rogers Cable and Shaw Cable were the only providers to offer the service. The service offered older and newer anime programs that did not air on YTV itself. The video-on-demand service was previously titled "YTV Anime On Demand". Bionix On Demand was discontinued on December 17, 2009, and was replaced by YTV On Demand. [51]
YTV GO was a TV Everywhere mobile app available on the App Store and Google Play Store. It was available at no extra charge to all subscribed customers of Access Communications, Bell Satellite TV, Cogeco, Shaw Cable, Shaw Direct, Telus, and VMedia. It offered episodes of various programming from YTV. The app operated between September 2015 and May 1, 2019. [52] [53]
Nickelodeon is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through Paramount Media Networks' subdivision, Nickelodeon Group. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children, the channel is primarily aimed at children and adolescents aged 2 to 17, along with a broader family audience through its program blocks.
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment production company owned by Corus Entertainment and formerly Shaw Communications since 2000. Founded in July 1971 by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith, it was named after Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian national superhero, who was created by Adrian Dingle. The company's production logo is a polar bear looking at Polaris, the North Star.
W Network is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts general entertainment programming oriented towards a female audience.
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.
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.
Documentary Channel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the National Film Board of Canada and four other independent producers. Its programming is devoted to featuring primarily documentary films along with documentary-style television series.
The Zone is the flagship weekday afternoon programming block on the Canadian television channel YTV. It currently airs between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. ET and PT in Canada. On Saturday mornings, it is called The Zone Weekend, broadcasting between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel for preschool children 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 ever full-day preschool-oriented TV channel in Canada.
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.
The History Channel is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel that primarily broadcasts programming related to history and historical fiction. It is owned by History Television, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment.
Discovery Kids was a Canadian English language specialty television channel owned by Corus Entertainment and Discovery Communications.
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 Corus Entertainment under a brand licensing agreement with Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global.
American Broadcasting Company 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.
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.
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.
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.
In September, the cable network introduced the program jockeys to young YTV viewers.
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