Super Écran

Super Écran is a Canadian French language Category A premium television service owned by Bell Media.

Super Écran broadcasts a mix of commercial-free films and television series. Films are primarily sourced from the United States and Canada, while the television series consist of original series and programs from HBO and Showtime in the United States.

History

Super Écran logo 2004-2014

Launched on February 1, 1983 under the name Premier Choix, the channel was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to provide a national 24-hour-a-day French-language pay television service. It was owned and operated by First Choice Canadian Communications.^[1]

Premier Choix had a difficult time attracting enough subscribers, as did a regional Quebec-based pay-television network called TVEC which was licensed in November 1982. Rogers Cable in Toronto couldn't add the channel until September 1983, and Videon Cable in Winnipeg didn't have the additional channel capacity to add it until its dispute with Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS) over ownership of the cable plant was settled.

In the early years, before RDS and MusiquePlus were licensed, programming consisted of 70% movies and 30% sports.

TVEC (Télévision de l'Est du Canada Inc.) was licensed in November 1982 as a regional French-language pay-TV channel from Quebec, serving Quebec, eastern Ontario, and Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick).

In February 1984 these two channels combined to form Super Écran.^[2][3]

In the late 1980s, Premier Choix: TVEC was awarded licenses for French-language satellite-cable (specialty) networks. These include: Canal D similar to A&E and Canal Famille, similar to Family Channel Canada.

The network was granted authorization for national distribution across Canada in 1996.^[4]

On October 30, 2006 Astral Media launched an HD simulcast of Super Écran. Later, Astral launched HD feeds for all three remaining channels.

Multiplexes and programming

Former logo of Super Écran from 2001–2004. Corresponding multiplex logos would show the number of the channel in the upper right hand corner.

Super Écran offers an extensive variety of Hollywood and Canadian movies, television series from HBO and Showtime, and original content. Super Écran operates four multiplex channels, numbered from 1 to 4 in standard and high-definition. Unlike The Movie Network and Movie Central however, the four multiplex channels do not have certain focuses or themes. A video on demand service, "Super Écran Sur Demande", is offered for digital cable and satellite subscribers, featuring programming from the Super Écran channels.

International distribution

• Saint Pierre and Miquelon - distributed on SPM Telecom systems.

References

External links

• Super Écran (French)