| Country Music Television (CMT) | |
|---|---|
| CMT logo | |
| Launched | January 1, 1995 |
| Owned by | Corus Entertainment (90% & managing partner) Viacom (10%) |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Country | Canada |
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Formerly called | New Country Network (NCN) (1995-1996) |
| Website | CMT |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Bell TV | Channel 575 |
| Shaw Direct | Channel 583 |
| Cable | |
| Available on most Canadian cable systems | Check local listings, channels may vary |
| IPTV | |
| Bell Aliant TV | Channel 216 |
| Bell Fibe TV | Channel 575 |
| MTS | Channel 109 |
| Optik TV | Channel 258 |
| SaskTel | Channel 14 |
CMT is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel which airs country music and family-orientated general entertainment programs in the form of music videos, award shows, concerts, sitcoms and more. CMT is owned by Corus Entertainment (90%) and Viacom (10%). It is one of the two MTV-branded channels to be owned by Corus, the other being Nickelodeon.
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Prior to the launch of CMT Canada, the American-based country television network, Country Music Television, was available in Canada since 1984.[1]
In June 1994, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licensed a series of new Canadian specialty television channels and among them was The Country Network, licensed to primarily feature country music videos (a minimum of 90%). The licence was granted to the partnership of Maclean-Hunter (60%) and Rawlco Communications (40%).[2]
At this time, the CRTC had a policy where if a Canadian specialty service is licensed and that service's format is competitive with a foreign service's format that is licensed to operate in Canada, the foreign service may be terminated from operating in Canada.[2] Due to Country Music Television's competitive format, the CRTC terminated Country Music Television's broadcasting rights in Canada on June 6, 1994. Television distributors such as cable and satellite television operators could continue distributing Country Music Television until the day that The Country Network began operation.[2]
Before the channel's launch, Maclean-Hunter had been purchased by Rogers Communications.[3]
On January 1, 1995 the Canadian channel launched under the name New Country Network (NCN). On that date, Canadian television service providers were no longer allowed to offer Country Music Television.[4]
In retaliation to it being barred from Canada, the American service launched a complaint under the North American Free Trade Agreement and ceased carriage of videos by Canadian artists without major U.S. record deals.[5]
After months of negotiations, the matter was settled when it was announced that CMT would purchase a minority stake in the service. NCN relaunched as CMT Canada on October 31, 1996 with a similar format to the American service.[5] The majority interest was acquired by Shaw Communications at the same time; Shaw subsequently transferred its ownership stake to Corus Entertainment, a separate company owned by the same shareholders, in 1999.
The controversy also resulted in an effective change to CRTC policy — if a foreign channel is already available in Canada and a new Canadian equivalent is subsequently licensed, cable companies are no longer required to drop the foreign service.
When CMT launched as NCN on January 1, 1995, the CRTC required that 90% of the station's programming consist of music videos.[6] The CRTC dropped that requirement to 70% on February 28, 2001.[7] The percentage was further reduced to 50% on February 28, 2006[8], making it, more or less, like its American counterpart.
Currently, CMT airs music videos throughout the day in blocks titled My CMT Morning, CMT Music, Love & Tears, CMT Rewind, Old School, Wide Open and CMT Spotlight, along with the weekly programs Kortney & Dave by Request and the Chevrolet Cross Canada Countdown. In the evening, CMT airs the syndicated TV series' Just For Laughs Gags, America's Funniest Home Videos, According to Jim, and Reba along with country music-related series such as Pick a Puppy, Pet Heroes and ER Vets. Like its American counterpart, CMT also airs country/rural lifestyle movies on the weekend.
| 1996–2000 | 2000–2006 | 2006–2008 | 2008–2010 | 2010–present |
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