In November 2000, Craig Broadcast Systems Inc. was granted approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to launch a specialty service called "Music 5" that would consist of five separate music video channels that would each focus on a specific musical genre – dance, pop, urban, R&B and "hot hits". Before any of the channels had launched, in August 2001, Craig announced that it had reached an agreement with MTV Networks to license the MTV brand in Canada for several their channels. Although it was expected that 3 MTV branded genre-specific music channels would launch, on December 6, 2001, only one channel was launched, the channel devoted to "Pop", as MTV2. Shortly after the launch, MTV Networks acquired a minority interest in the channel, along with sister networkMTV Canada. MTV2 was structured as a free-form music video channel that aired music videos from various artists from different genres aimed a teens to young adults, in addition to a small number of concert series including the MTV Canada original series, Pepsi Breakout. In April 2004, CHUM Limited announced it would purchase Craig Media for CAD$265 million; Craig's interest in MTV2 was included in the sale. The sale was approved by the CRTC on November 19, 2004, and the transaction was completed two weeks later on December 1.
As PunchMuch
After the sale, MTV Networks chose to terminate its licensing agreement with Craig due to a clause in the contract allowing it to end it if a change in control occurred. CHUM was required to pay CAD$10 million in licensing fees to MTV Networks for the time remaining in their contract. The contract termination also meant that MTV Networks was no longer able to retain interest in the channel. On June 9, 2005, CHUM announced it would rebrand the channel on June 30 as PunchMuch, changing the format to an automated music video service that would allow viewers the ability to request music videos and participate in on-screen chat, polling, and other interactive participation with their mobile phone. MTV Canada was rebranded Razer on the same day. In July 2006, Bell Globemedia announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated CAD$1.7 billion, including PunchMuch. The sale, also needing approval from the CRTC, was approved on June 8, 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22. After a three-year absence, the MTV2 brand returned in Canada when CTVglobemedia rebranded Razer as MTV2 on August 1, 2008. From its inception, the channel had operated as an advertiser-supported service; however, on August 31, 2009, commercial advertising was dropped from the channel's schedule. Ownership changed hands once again when on September 10, 2010, Bell Canada announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of $3.2 billion CAD. The deal was approved by the CRTC on March 7, 2011, and was finalized on April 1 of that year, on which CTVglobemedia was rebranded Bell Media.
As Juicebox
PunchMuch was subsequently rebranded as Juicebox on November 17, 2011, focusing on music videos aimed at children, with an emphasis on videos aimed at pre-teen audiences. The videos on the channel were approved by a committee consisting of parents and employees, who determine the appropriateness of a specific video for the channel's target audience. As part of the channel's relaunch as Juicebox, CTV started airing a two-hour block of Juicebox-branded videos on Saturday mornings, later abandoned in April 2016, before CTV's parent company Bell Media sold the channel to Stingray Digital. On June 21, 2016, it was announced that Stingray Digital would acquire MuchVibe, MuchLoud, MuchRetro, and Juicebox from Bell Media. at a price-tag later revealed to be $4 million for all four channels. The deal for Juicebox would later close on August 15, 2016, with the channel changing its name to Stingray Juicebox on August 12, 2016. On June 1, 2017, Stingray announced the completion of the rebranding process for all 4 channels, which included new programming and a national promotional campaign.
