Razer

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This article is about the television network named Razer. For other meanings see Razer (disambiguation).

**Razer**

Type	Digital cable specialty channel
Country	Canada
Availability	National
Owner	CHUM Limited
Launch date	October 18, 2001
Past names	MTV Canada
Website	www.razer.ca

Razer is a Canadian category 1 digital cable television channel, which describes itself as a "youth-controlled entertainment and information community, supporting what matters to youth". It debuted in its present form on June 30, 2005, replacing the Craig Media incarnation of MTV Canada (another channel, owned by CTV, has relaunched under that name). It is owned by CHUM Limited.

The station focuses in on trends in entertainment, TV, movies, music, videogames, fashion, technology, sports and leisure. It claims it "champions interactivity and empowers you, allowing you to pick programming, host shows, and participate and contribute to Razer." It also claims that "Razer lives on TV, on the web and in ways not yet invented."

1 History
2 Shows
3 See also
4 External link

[edit] History

Logo of MTV Canada before rebranding to Razer

On November 24, 2000, the CRTC announced the licensees of the new, much-sought Category 1 digital services. Craig Media was granted a licence for a youth lifestyle service known as Connect. One of the licence's conditions was that the channel could not devote more than 10 per cent of its schedule to the airing of music videos, in order to avoid direct competition with CHUM's MuchMusic.

Nonetheless Craig quickly reached an agreement with Viacom to carry MTV programming, prompting a pre-launch name change to MTV Canada. It launched on October 18, 2001. Canadian programs that aired on MTV Canada included Pepsi Breakout, Versus, MTV Select (later renamed 969) and more, while foreign MTV programs that aired were Punk'd, TRL, The Real World and more.

CHUM soon complained to the CRTC that MTV Canada was violating its conditions of licence, becoming a direct competitor to MuchMusic. Craig was forced to make changes to reduce its percentage of music-related programming. However these changes were soon rendered moot as Craig was acquired by CHUM Limited in December 1, 2004, prompting Viacom to exercise its right to cancel the contract with Craig if a change in control were to happen. Plans to rebrand the channel as Razer were announced on June 9, 2005. CTV acquired the rights to MTV programming later in the year, launching its own MTV channel (previously known as talktv) in early 2006.

[edit] Shows

969
America's Dumbest Criminals
America's Next Top Model
Basilisk
Breakout
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Clone High
Cops, Cars & Superstars
Cowboy Bebop
Dawsons Creek
Drop In
The Electric Playground
Extreme 16mm
Freshman on Campus
Hardcore Candy
Kontrol
Ride Guide
Ride with Funkmaster Flex
Roswell
Samurai 7
Samurai Champloo
Scare Tactics
The Wrong Coast
Trinity Blood
Under Attack
World Famous for Dicking Around
World of Stupid
Vans Triple Crown

twice-weekly hit movie night called The RazerFlick

Although initial releases about the station indicated that they were planning to incorporate anime programming into their lineup, anime would not appear on the station until July 2006 with the debut of Basilisk, Samurai 7, and Trinity Blood. Originally the Canadian dubbed Air Master was meant to air on the station upon its launch. However, Toei discontinued their DVD release of the series and subsequently pulled the television rights away from CHUM.