Family Channel (Canadian TV network)


Family Channel is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by WildBrain. Family's programming is aimed towards kids ages 6-17. Family is headquartered in the Brookfield Place office complex, near the Financial District of Downtown Toronto. It has transmitted from Corus Quay since at least 2014.
When Family Channel was launched in 1988, much of its programming was heavily sourced from the American cable channel Disney Channel. In 2015, these rights lapsed and were later acquired by Corus Entertainment, who launched its own Canadian version of Disney Channel. Since 2016, Family has relied on its original programming, library programs from DHX, and acquisitions from other sources.
As of March 2013, Family Channel is available to approximately six million pay television households in Canada; it also has the highest total viewership among Canada's children's television channels. It broadcasts Eastern Time Zone feeds in both standard definition and high definition, and a Pacific Time Zone feed solely in standard definition. While it previously operated with a commercial-free format due to its status as a premium channel, the formal categorization has since been removed from the CRTC's policies, allowing Family to transition to an ad-supported format similar to conventional specialty channels.

History

Early history

Family Channel was licensed as a premium television service by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on December 1, 1987; it was originally operated as a joint venture between Allarcom Pay Television Limited and First Choice Canadian Communications Corporation, with both companies owning a 50% stake in the service.
The network officially launched on September 1, 1988; during its first decade, Family Channel's programming format mirrored that of then fellow U.S. premium service The Disney Channel. Family's programming lineup consisted mainly of domestic and foreign-imported live action and animated series, feature films from the Walt Disney Pictures library, classic films from other American and Canadian film studios, and specials. At the time of its launch, Family Channel broadcast for 16½ hours each day, from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET.
Family was originally offered by cable companies as a standalone channel that required an additional monthly subscription fee. In October 1997, most domestic cable and satellite providers started offering the channel as part of a package with that year's wave of new specialty channels. While Family initially continued its premium format, it later changed its programming strategies to closer-resemble those of mainstream specialty channels, albeit remaining commercial-free because it was still legally considered a premium service.

Rebranding and change in focus

In October 1999, as part of the break-up of Western International Communications — which had bought Allarcom—its stake in Family Channel was sold to Corus Entertainment. In March 2001, in response to complaints by the CRTC over its near-monopoly on ownership of children's specialty channels in Canada, Corus sold its stake in Family Channel to Astral Media for $126.9 million.
By this point, Family – whose programming had been targeting a broader family audience throughout its schedule, save for some programs targeted mainly at children interspersed within its daytime lineup – began to target a dual audience: kids and teenagers during the daytime, and families at night. Gradually, though, the channel's programming shifted more towards children with feature films being the only family-oriented programming featured on the channel by the mid-2000s.
On July 1, 2007, Family became the last English language children's network in Canada to switch to a 24-hour broadcast schedule. On January 11, 2011, Family launched a high-definition simulcast. Alongside the transition, the channel also introduced an updated logo and on-air imaging.

Sale to DHX Media

On March 4, 2013, following the Competition Bureau's approval of Bell Media's acquisition of Astral Media, Bell announced that it would divest Family and its sister networks, as well as Astral's French language music channels MusiquePlus and MusiMax, in an attempt to relieve concerns surrounding Bell's total market share in English language television following the merger. Bell's original proposal, under which it would have maintained ownership of the channels, was rejected by the Bureau in 2012 as it would have given Bell a 42% share of the English television market. Bell filed a new application for the proposed takeover with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on March 6, 2013; the CRTC approved the merger on June 27, 2013, with Family Channel and the other Astral channels that were put up for sale concurrently being placed in a blind trust held by businessman and former Montreal Canadiens president Pierre Boivin, pending their sale to a third-party.
On November 28, 2013, DHX Media announced that it would acquire Family and its sister networks for $170 million. While the Halifax-based company already distributes and produces a large library of children's television series, the purchase marks DHX's first foray into broadcasting. DHX has indicated that it would leverage its resources and library to add more original, Canadian-produced programming to Family under its ownership.
The acquisition of Family Channel and its sister networks by DHX was approved by the CRTC on July 24, 2014. Under DHX ownership, the network is subject to new licensing conditions which require that at least 60% of the Canadian programming broadcast by the network on an annual basis be produced by companies other than DHX. The acquisition was finalized on July 31, 2014, with Family and its sister networks becoming part of a newly formed division of the company known as DHX Television.

Loss of Disney Channel programming rights and other changes

On April 16, 2015, it was announced that Corus Entertainment had acquired Canadian rights to Disney Channel's programming library, and that it would launch a Canadian version of Disney Channel in September 2015. Corus subsequently launched new Disney Junior and Disney XD channels as well in December 2015. DHX's programming agreement with Disney ended in January 2016.
As a result of these changes, Disney programming was phased out of Family Channel's lineup throughout the remainder of 2015, and its sister Disney Junior and Disney XD-branded networks were rebranded as Family Jr., Télémagino, and Family Chrgd. Alongside new and original productions, DHX reached new output deals with AwesomenessTV, DreamWorks Animation, and Mattel in 2015 for programming based on their properties across its networks.
On June 9, 2015, it was announced that a new incarnation of the Degrassi franchise, , would premiere on Family in 2016. The show is produced by Epitome Pictures, a studio DHX acquired in 2014. Next Class premiered on January 4, 2016 as part of a new primetime block known as "F2N". The F2N block was positioned towards an older teenage audience than the "tween" audience that Family has typically targeted; DHX Television senior vice-president Joe Tedesco explained that the company had original series in development for Family in case it ever did lose its output deal with Disney, and that these decisions were based on a goal to build a "strong lineup" of programs, and was not financially motivated. Tedesco went on to explain that the F2N block was meant to create a "meaningful destination" for teens and, in the case of Degrassi—a series that has historically dealt with teen issues, encourage family viewing.
As part of the CRTC's "Let's Talk TV" initiative, DHX Media expressed concern that the elimination of genre protection for Category A specialty channels would put services licensed as premium services at an unfair disadvantage, especially due to their inability to air advertising. On November 2, 2016, the CRTC approved the implementation of new categories for licensed television services, replacing the separate specialty and pay television categories with a single Discretionary service category using standardized conditions of license, and ruled that current premium services may operate under these deregulated policies effective immediately. As a result, channels that were legally considered premium services, such as Family Channel, may now optionally broadcast advertising. Tedesco commended the CRTC for the decision, stating that it "represents the next logical step in the implementation of the Let's Talk TV decision, when genre protection was eliminated, and it ensures that pay and specialty channels will now be on a level field."
On April 1, 2019, the adult cartoons were moved to Makeful; with Family now fully airing 24/7 content. However, the adult cartoons may occasionally air during the nighttime hours.

Programming

Family's programming encompasses both domestic and imported children's television series, teen dramas, sitcoms, and both theatrically released and made-for-television movies. Its daytime lineup is aimed at preteens and young teenagers, while its primetime programs are aimed at an older teenage audience. The channel airs films on Friday and Saturday evenings and on weekend afternoons; they consist of either theatrical releases, or, previously, Disney Channel made-for-TV films. Family commissioned its first original movie, Vacation with Derek, based on its original series Life with Derek, which premiered on the channel in June 2010. In addition, Family Channel has also been involved in one other made-for-TV film co-production, the 2010 film 16 Wishes, which was co-produced in association with Disney Channel and MarVista Entertainment.
As previously mandated for premium services, Family, historically, did not air traditional commercial advertising, besides promotions in between programs for its own programming and sponsored contests, along with interstitial segments such as Fam Jam, and features on upcoming family-targeting films produced by former sister The Movie Network. After changes in CRTC policies and the network's licensing in November 2016, Family switched to a conventional, commercial-supported format for its non-preschool programs.
Historically, Family had been the main Canadian outlet for the programming of the U.S. cable network Disney Channel, including its original series and made-for-TV films. For a period, the network also aired programming from Disney Channel's spin-off network Disney XD; these programs were phased out following the launch of a sibling Canadian version of Disney XD in 2012. Family has also acquired programming from other sources, including Nickelodeon.
Family began to phase out Disney programming in late 2015, after Corus Entertainment acquired exclusive rights to Disney Channel's programming and associated brands in Canada. Since then, Family has acquired the bulk of its programming from AwesomenessTV and DreamWorks Animation. Family has also co-commissioned programming with the U.S. network Universal Kids. The latter had previously acquired the rights to Family original series The Next Step and provided additional funding for its sixth season due to reduced financial commitments by DHX. Family also co-commissioned the children's horror anthology Creeped Out with British children's channel CBBC.
In September 2017, F2N was replaced by a new block called BiteTV that airs adult cartoons.

Programming block

Seasonal

Family Jr. and Télémagino

On November 30, 2007, Family launched Playhouse Disney Channel, a separate channel featuring programming aimed at a preschool audience, based on Disney's Playhouse Disney brand. Subject to carriage, the multiplex channel was made available at no additional charge to television providers and subscribers who receive its parent network. It was rebranded as Disney Junior on May 6, 2011, following the launch of the brand in the United States earlier that year. On September 18, 2015, due to Corus Entertainment's acquisition of rights to Disney's children's programming and brands, the channel was re-branded as Family Jr.
As Family was licensed as a premium service, it is allowed to operate multiplex channels that carry additional programming consistent with its licensing and nature of service.
A French language version of the channel, now known as Télémagino, was launched on July 5, 2010 as Playhouse Disney Télé. Unlike the English version of Family Jr., Télémagino operates under a separate Category B license.

Family Chrgd

On June 1, 2011, Family launched a Canadian version of Disney XD under a separate license. It re-branded as Family Chrgd on October 9, 2015.

Other services