| OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network | |
|---|---|
| OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network logo | |
| Launched | September 1, 1999 |
| Owned by | Corus Entertainment |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Country | Canada |
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Formerly called | Canadian Learning Television (1999-2008) Viva (2008-2011) |
| Website | OWN |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Bell TV | Channel 526 (SD) Channel 1711 (HD) |
| Shaw Direct | Channel 507 (SD) |
| Cable | |
| Available on most Canadian cable systems | Check local listings, channels may vary |
| IPTV | |
| Bell Aliant TV | Channel 285 (SD) |
| Bell Fibe TV | Channel 526 (SD) Channel 1526 (HD) |
| MTS | Channel 114 (SD) Channel 456 (HD) |
| Optik TV | Channel 202 (SD) Channel 651 (HD) |
| SaskTel | Channel 52 (SD) |
Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. OWN is a specialty television service targeted to women, offering a blend of lifestyle, information, and entertainment programming. It is currently the only Discovery-branded channel not to be owned by Bell Media or its subsidiary CTV Specialty Television Inc.
Contents |
In September 1996, Learning and Skills Television of Alberta Ltd. (LSTA) (controlled by CHUM Limited through a 60% interest in the company) was granted a television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) called Canadian Learning Television.[1] The channel was licensed to provide "formal and informal educational programs on a wide range of topics."[1]
The channel launched on September 1, 1999 as Canadian Learning Television[2] with a mix of educational and informational television programs. CHUM would later gain 100% ownership of the channel when it completed it purchase of the remaining interest in LSTA on February 15, 2005.[3] The company would later be renamed Access Media Group.
In 2003, Canadian Learning Television adopted a new logo and on-air presentation. With this change began the use of referring to the channel as CLT in most media rather than using its full name, although Canadian Learning Television remained its official name.
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billion CAD, included in the sale was CLT.[4] The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007,[5] with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007.
In less than a year after taking ownership of CLT, on March 7, 2008, CTVglobemedia announced it would sell CLT to Corus Entertainment for approximately $73 million CAD.[6] The deal was approved by the CRTC on August 22, 2008.[7] The transaction was then finalized on September 1, 2008.
In October 2008, Corus announced it would relaunch CLT as Viva, a female-focused entertainment and lifestyle channel targeting the baby boomer demographic. The rebrand took effect on November 3, 2008.[8]
On September 29, 2010, Corus announced it had finalized an agreement to launch a Canadian version of the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in Canada in 2011.[9] Although Corus had said the new channel would involve rebranding an existing channel of theirs, it had not announced which channel it would be, nor did Corus announce a specific launch date. However, in November 2010, Corus officially announced that Viva was chosen to be rebranded as OWN and that it would launch on March 1, 2011.[10] This is two months later than the January 1, 2011 launch of OWN in the United States. During that time, selected OWN programming was broadcast on Viva as well as another Corus-owned female-focused channel, W Network.
On March 1, 2011, to coincide with the launch of OWN, Corus launched OWN HD, a high definition simulcast of OWN's standard definition feed.
As CLT, when the channel initially launched, it aired a mix of formal and informal educational and informational programming in the style of news magazines, talk shows, documentaries, and more. Over time, the channel introduced more entertainment-based programs such as films and television dramas.
The channel aired a similar schedule to that aired by Access (now called CTV Two Alberta), a television service in Alberta which aired a mix of entertainment and educational programming, both of which were under the same ownership of CHUM and later CTVglobemedia before CLT was sold to Corus Entertainment.
As Viva, the channel aired a mix of entertainment and loosely-based educational programming to satisfy its CRTC licence requirements, and to that end, many programs continued to be tied to some sort of ongoing course at a Canadian post-secondary institution as it did under CLT. However, with the changeover to Viva, most of the programs had begun with a short introduction from an instructor at the applicable institution.
Under the OWN moniker, the channel continues to target female audiences with programming ranging from lifestyle, information, and entertainment programming.
| 1999–2003 | 2003–2008 | 2008–2011 | 2011 | Current HD logo |
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