Encore Avenue
| Encore Avenue | |
|---|---|
|
Encore Avenue logo | |
| Launched | October 1, 1994 |
| Owned by | Corus Entertainment |
| Picture format |
1080i (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | Western Canada and Territories |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Formerly called | MovieMax! (1994–2001) |
| Sister channel(s) | Movie Central |
| Website | Encore Avenue |
Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Bell TV |
324 Encore Avenue (SD) 325 Encore Avenue 2 (SD) |
| Shaw Direct |
632 Encore Avenue (SD) 633 Encore Avenue 2 (SD) 273 Encore Avenue (HD) |
| Cable | |
| Available on most cable systems in Western and Northern Canada | Consult your local cable provider for channel availability |
| IPTV | |
| MTS TV |
215 Encore Avenue (SD) 216 Encore Avenue 2 (SD) 434 Encore Avenue (HD) |
| Optik TV |
244 Encore Avenue (SD) 245 Encore Avenue 2 (SD) |
| SaskTel |
204 Encore Avenue (SD) 205 Encore Avenue 2 (SD) |
Encore Avenue is a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that is owned by Corus Entertainment. Encore Avenue is designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories. The channel offers a variety of classic films from the 1970s to the 1990s, with films from the early 2000s interspersed within the schedule. The channel's programming is comparable to that of The Movie Network Encore, a separately-owned pay service (and sister channel to The Movie Network) that is marketed to Eastern Canada, serving areas located east of the Ontario-Manitoba border.
History
The channel was launched on October 1, 1994 as MovieMax!, operating as a sister network to premium movie service Superchannel (now Movie Central). The channel originally focused on movies from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, but later expanded its film library to include films from earlier decades (as its licence allows the channel to air movies that were released up to five years from the present year). The channel was originally owned by Western International Communications. In the late 1990s, after digital cable and satellite television became available in Canada, MovieMax! launched a multiplex channel called MovieMax! 2, which was available initially on satellite only (and operated as a two-hour timeshift channel of the main MovieMax! channel).
Duelling takeover bids for, and eventual 2000 split of, WIC resulted in Superchannel and MovieMax! being acquired by Corus Entertainment. On April 1, 2001, Superchannel and MovieMax! were rebranded under the umbrella brand Movie Central, which consisted of six diverse channels utilizing a common street-themed branding scheme: Movie Central, Adrenaline Drive (focusing on action movies), Heartland Road (focusing on romance films), Shadow Lane (focusing on horror/suspense films), Encore Avenue (focusing on classic movies), and Comic Strip (focusing on comedy films).
On March 1, 2006, the sub-brands were dropped due to confusion among Movie Central subscribers regarding the meanings of the channel's names; four of the channels remained under the Movie Central brand (but using numbered names rather than a combination of the parent network's name and a sub-brand, a common naming scheme for North American premium television services), and the two remaining channels became Encore Avenue, each of which are still diverse in their schedules. The Encore Avenue channels adopted a format of films from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, possibly due to the introduction of Turner Classic Movies in Canada.
Channels
List of channels
Depending on the service provider, Encore Avenue provides up to four multiplex channels – two 24-hour multiplex channels, both of which are simulcast in both standard definition and high definition.
The premium classic film service Movie Central, which is also owned by Corus Entertainment, operates as a separate service under a separate licence – and subscribers to one of the two services do not necessarily have to subscribe to the other. However, Encore Avenue is very frequently sold together in a package with Movie Central. Encore Avenue broadcasts its primary and multiplex channels on an Pacific Time Zone schedule. Because Encore Avenue operates a singular feed and its license is restricted to broadcast solely in a geographical area covered by the Pacific, Mountain and Central time zones, this results in the difference in local airtimes for a particular movie or program between two geographic locations being three hours at most.
| Channel | Description and programming |
|---|---|
| Encore Avenue | The flagship service; this channel mainly broadcasts films from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. |
| Encore Avenue 2 | A secondary service that also offers films from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s; it was formerly named Comic Strip from April 1, 2001 to March 1, 2006. This channel airs a different schedule of movies from the main channel, but draws from the same programming library. |
Other services
Encore Avenue HD
Encore Avenue HD is a high definition simulcast feed of Encore Avenue that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format. In addition to its main channel, Encore Avenue also operates a high definition simulcast feed of its multiplex channel Encore Avenue 2. The main Encore Avenue channel originally launched its HD simulcast feed on April 24, 2008; the HD feed of Encore Avenue 2 followed on August 15, 2013. Among others, Encore Avenue HD is currently carried regionally by satellite providers Shaw Direct and Bell TV, IPTV provider MTS TV, and cable providers Shaw Cable, Access Communications, Cogeco, Telus TV and Westman Communications.
References
External links
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