ABC Spark

ABC Spark is a Canadian English language Category B digital cable and satellite television specialty channel that is owned by Corus Entertainment.^[1][2] The channel is based on the U.S. cable network ABC Family and focuses on programming primarily aimed at teenagers and preteens with additional general interest family programming. Its name is licensed from the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC Family.^[1]

History

The announcement of the formation of ABC Spark occurred on October 26, 2011 as part of a program licensing agreement between Corus Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company.^[3] Prior to the announcement of the channel's launch, original programming from ABC Family had been airing in Canada on other specialty channels, including the Bell Media-owned MuchMusic. The use of the name "ABC Spark", as opposed to "ABC Family", is presumably to avoid any confusion with the existing Canadian cable channel Family Channel (presently owned by DHX Media), which incidentally draws most of its foreign programming from ABC Family's sister cable network, Disney Channel.

ABC Spark is not subject to the requirements imposed on the American ABC Family by that channel's original owner, the Christian Broadcasting Network, which launched that network as the CBN Satellite Service in 1977; in spite of subsequent ownership changes (having been sold to International Family Entertainment Inc. in 1990, then to News Corporation in 1997, and finally to Disney in 2001), the requirements are for ABC Family to maintain the word "Family" in the channel's name in perpetuity regardless of the channel's ownership or its programming format, and obligations to air select CBN-produced programming such as weekdaily airings of CBN founder Pat Robertson's program The 700 Club and an additional companion program produced by the company, along with annual telethons organized by CBN.

Selected ABC Family programs that were set to air on ABC Spark began airing in special sneak preview blocks in advance of the network's launch starting on January 16, 2012 on Corus-owned sister channels YTV, W Network, and CMT Canada.^[4]

The channel's broadcast licence, tentatively known then as Harmony, was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in February 2012.^[5]

The channel had a formal on-air launch date of March 26, 2012,^[4] however Corus had "soft launched" the channel three days earlier on March 23 (the same day that Dusk, another Corus-owned channel, was shut down) in both standard and high definition. Upon its soft launch, ABC Spark was initially made available to subscribers of Access Communications, Cogeco, Novus, Shaw Cable, Westman Communications, Source Cable and EastLink, among other cable providers. Rogers Cable and Vidéotron were the largest Canadian pay television providers that did not carry ABC Spark at launch; as such, the channel's carriage in major metropolitan areas such as Toronto, Quebec City and Montreal had been limited to national satellite providers Bell TV and Shaw Direct, and IPTV provider Bell Fibe TV. Vidéotron added the channel in August 2012; while ABC Spark began to be carried on Rogers Cable on December 6, 2012, initially available as part of a two-month free preview that ran until February 4, 2013.

Shortly after the channel's launch, the CRTC published notice of a pending application to transfer the ABC Spark licence to the numbered company which previously owned Dusk, which is 51% owned by Corus and 49% owned by Shaw Media.^[6][7] However on March 4, 2013, Corus Entertainment announced that it would acquire Shaw Media's 49% ownership interest in ABC Spark, in a larger transaction that would see Corus also acquire Shaw's 50% interest in Historia and Séries+, while Corus would sell their 22.58% stake in Food Network. In total, Shaw would receive net proceeds of approximately $95 million in cash.^[8] The sale of the portion of ABC Spark closed in April 2013.^[2]

Programming

Programming on ABC Spark includes original comedies (Baby Daddy and Melissa & Joey), and dramas (Switched at Birth and The Fosters) acquired from ABC Family. Much of the channel's schedule consists of syndicated third-party programs, a few of which are currently airing or have aired in the past on ABC Family, and select original programming from YTV. The channel also holds its own versions of the 25 Days of Christmas and 13 Nights of Halloween events, which lead up to their respective holidays with special programming and films.

In addition to the programming differences between ABC Family and ABC Spark mentioned above, ABC Spark's weekend schedule includes a primetime movie at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. In addition, ABC Spark does not offer paid programming time to commercial or religious organizations in overnight and early morning periods in favor of a schedule loop for viewers in the Pacific Time Zone, older programming, and content sourced from other Corus-owned networks.

References

External links

• ABC Spark