YTV (Canadian TV channel)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Canadian TV channel. For the British channel, see ITV Yorkshire. For the ABC affiliate, see WYTV. For other uses, see YTV.
Not to be confused with KYTV.

YTV
YTV logo.svg
CountryCanada
Broadcast areaNational
HeadquartersToronto, Ontario
Programming
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Timeshift serviceYTV East
G3
Ownership
OwnerCorus Entertainment
ParentYTV Canada, Inc.
Sister channelsNickelodeon
Treehouse TV
History
Launched1 September 1988; 33 years ago (1988-09-01)
Links
Websitewww.ytv.com
Availability
Cable
Available on most cable systemsChannel slots vary on each provider
Satellite
Bell Satellite TVChannel 551 (SD East)
Channel 552 (SD West) (SD)
Channel 1646 (HD)
Shaw DirectChannel 542 (SD East)
Channel 543 (SD West)
Channels 71/571 (HD)
IPTV
Bell Aliant Fibe TVChannel 252 (SD East)
Channel 21 (SD)
Channel 501 (HD)
Bell Fibe TVChannel 551 (SD East)
Channel 552 (SD West)
Channel 1551 (HD)
Bell MTSChannel 17 (SD East)
Channel 18 (SD West)
Channel 1017 (HD)
Optik TVChannel 600 (HD East)
Channel 9600 (SD West)
SaskTelChannel 11 (SD West)
Channel 311 (HD)
VMediaChannel 25 (HD)
TotalTVChannel 27 (HD)
RiverTVChannel 21 (HD)
Streaming media
StackTVInternet Protocol television

YTV is a Canadian English language specialty channel that launched on September 1, 1988. It is owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment.[1] The channel and its programming is targeted at children and young teenagers; its name was originally thought to be an abbreviation for "Youth Television", though the channel's website has denied this.[2]

YTV operates two time shifted feeds, running on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules, and is available in over 11.0 million households in Canada as of 2013.[3]

History[]

The channel was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1987.[4]

Two Corus specialty channel applications for YTV extensions, YTV POW!, an internationally sourced kids' action, adventure and superhero genre, and YTV OneWorld, targeting children from age 9 to 17 with travel, humour, games, and STEM were approved on September 18, 2008.[5] The YTV Oneworld license was used to launch Nickelodeon Canada.[6]

On January 11, 2011, a high-definition feed was launched.[7]

On October 6, 2014, the channel underwent a brand refresh, with new graphics and bumps created by Eloisa Iturbe Studio. In addition, the channel updated its logo by having it face upwards to the left instead of directly to the audience.[8]

Programming[]

Main article: List of programs broadcast by YTV

Current YTV original programming include hosted programming blocks, such as The Zone. In addition to original programming, YTV has historically acquired and co-produced programming with the U.S cable network Nickelodeon.

Programming blocks[]

Current blocks[]

  • Fam Fun - A programming block that airs every Saturday at 6:00pm.

Former blocks[]

  • The Treehouse - A daily programming block aimed at preschoolers; it was hosted by PJ Todd, PJ Krista, and Jennifer Racicot (PJ Katie), and featured puppets known as The Fuzzpaws. The block would later be spun off into its own specialty channel, Treehouse TV, which was licensed in 1996 by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)[9] and launched on November 1, 1997.
  • Bionix - A block dedicated to action and anime programming that was broadcast from September 10, 2004 to February 27, 2010.
  • CRUNCH - A Saturday morning programming block that aired from 2006 to 2013. It was hosted by Ajay Fry from 2006-2007, and later, Andy Chapman from 2008 until Crunch's discontinuation in 2013.

Program jockeys[]

Prior to the mid-1990s, YTV called their program jockeys "PJs" in the same vein as disc jockey (DJ) or video jockey (VJ). Current hosts of these segments have since dropped the moniker as of the mid-1990s.

Current program jockeys[]

The Zone and The Zone Weekend are co-hosted by Spencer Litzinger and Tyra Sweet.

Past program jockeys[]

  • Meisha Watson
  • Carlos Bustamante
  • Lisa Gilroy
  • Victor Verbitsky
  • Stephanie "Sugar" Beard
  • Elizabeth Becker
  • Jenn Beech, also known as "PJ Jenn"
  • Stephanie Broschart
  • Andy Chapman
  • Rachael Crawford
  • Laura DaSilva
  • Emily Agard
  • Ali Eisner
  • Janis Mackey Frayer, also known as "PJ Jazzy Jan"
  • The Grogs, puppeteers Jamie Shannon and Jason Hopley
  • , also known as "PJ Fresh Phil"
  • Laurie Gelman
  • Daryn Jones
  • Pat Kelly, also known as "Random Pat"
  • "PJ Krista"
  • Paul McGuire, also known as "PJ Paul"
  • Simon Mohos[10]
  • Ajay Fry
  • Shaun Majumder (Ed Brainbin)
  • Aashna Patel, also known as "PJ Aashna"
  • Joyce Quansah
  • , also known as "PJ Katie"
  • Michael Quast, also known as "Michael Q"
  • , the voice of Snit
  • Atul N. Rao, Snit's puppeteer
  • "PJ Rob"
  • Shandra, also known as "PJ Rockin Shan"
  • Marty Stelnick, puppeteer
  • Taylor (Phil McCordic)
  • "PJ Todd"
  • Gordon Michael Woolvett, also known as "Gord the PJ Man"
  • Cory Atkins
  • Exan AuYoung
  • Mark McAllister
  • Shauna MacDonald

Related services[]

Treehouse[]

Main article: Treehouse TV

Treehouse is a Category A cable and satellite specialty channel which airs programming targeted to preschoolers, from 2 to 5. It launched on November 1, 1997.[11] The channel's name is taken from YTV's now-defunct children's programming block, The Treehouse. Treehouse is carried nationwide throughout Canada and it broadcasts its programming without commercial interruption.

Nickelodeon[]

Main article: Nickelodeon (Canadian TV channel)

Nickelodeon is a Category B cable and satellite specialty channel that was launched on November 2, 2009, and is based on the U.S. cable channel Nickelodeon. Like its counterparts in the U.S. and elsewhere, Nickelodeon airs programs aimed at children to younger teenagers, targeted at 7—11. including both live action series and animation.

Former[]

Vortex on Demand[]

In July 2005, Corus Entertainment partnered up with Comcast Corporation to launch a cable video-on-demand service called "Vortex on Demand" in the United States. The deal consisted of 393 30 minute animation TV series from the Nelvana library; it aired programs such as Cadillacs & Dinosaurs and Medabots.[12][13] The service was discontinued in mid-2007.

Bionix On Demand[]

In 2008, Corus Entertainment began offering a video-on-demand service called "Bionix On Demand" to Canadian cable providers. Rogers Cable and Shaw Cable were the only providers to offer the service. The service offered older and newer anime programs that did not air on YTV itself. The video-on-demand service was previously titled "YTV Anime On Demand". Bionix On Demand was discontinued on December 17, 2009, and was replaced by YTV On Demand.[14]

YTV GO[]

YTV GO was a TV Everywhere mobile app available on the App Store and Google Play Store. It was available at no extra charge to all subscribed customers of Access Communications, Bell Satellite TV, Cogeco, Shaw Cable, Shaw Direct, Telus, and VMedia. It offered episodes of various programming from YTV. The app operated between September 2015 and May 1, 2019.[15][16]

Related businesses[]

  • Whoa! magazine, YTV's official magazine, began publication in 1999 by Creative House, a joint venture between the channel, Today's Parent Group and Paton Publishing.[17] It was distributed through Pizza Hut, YTV events, Chapters and Indigo bookstores, Canadian newsstands, and subscriptions.[18] Three issues were released in its first year, followed by four in 2000 before the magazine officially became a quarterly (spring, summer, fall, and winter) in 2001.[17][19] The magazine celebrated its fifth anniversary with a spring collector's issue in 2004.[20] In 2007, the magazine became available as an e-zine on YTV.com.[21] Building on that, in 2008 two additional issues (six for the year) were published as online exclusives.[22] In 2009, YTV ended its association with the magazine.[23] Patton relaunched Whoa! as a magazine/blogging platform without the YTV branding that same year, before ceasing publication in 2011 and shutting the site down in 2012.[23][24]
  • Big Fun Party Mix was a series of compilation cassettes/CDs containing songs from various tween approved artists, as well as tracks featured in YTV's Hit List and The Next Star, plus performances by the stations band "Nuclear Donkey". Universal Music Canada published 11 entries from 2000 to 2009.[25][26]
  • Yabber.net was a moderated online chat room operated from 2001 to 2004. The site hosted live chats between viewers and celebrities, voice actors, YTV hosts, and staff. Upon its closure, YTV.com absorbed some of its functionality.[27][28]
  • The Big Rip was an online portal for browser-based massively multiplayer online games for preteens. Developed by Corus Entertainment and Frima Studio, it launched February 15, 2007.[29] Frima later assumed complete control of the portal before ceasing updates in 2010 and later shutting down the site.
  • YTV Spills was a follow-up quarterly magazine to Whoa! produced in association with The Magazine between 2010 and 2012.[30][31]
  • Keep It Weird is a YouTube channel featuring various productions by Nelvana, another division of Corus Entertainment, along with past Nickelodeon series, channel promos, and YTV originals.[32] It launched in 2015 under the name Nelvana Retro and was later rebranded to YTV Direct in 2016 before assuming its current name in 2018.[33]

International distribution[]

  • Jamaica - distributed on Flow Cable systems.[34]
  • Bahamas - formerly distributed on Cable Bahamas systems channel 307. Removed from the channel line up as of September 2020 due to the programming lineup changes.[35]

References[]

  1. ^ "Ownership Chart 32b" (PDF). Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  2. ^ "About YTV.com". November 10, 2006. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  3. ^ "YTV Canada Inc. | YTV Fast Forwards to Fall with Eight Side-Splitting New Series". Newswire.ca. June 27, 2013. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  4. ^ Decision CRTC 87-903 CRTC December 1, 1987
  5. ^ Staff. "Radio/Television Station Group History: Corus Entertainment Inc". The History of Canadian Broadcasting. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  6. ^ Nickelodeon Canada set to launch; Media in Canada; September 29, 2009
  7. ^ "Bell Satellite launches YTV and Family Channel in high definition". Digital Home. January 12, 2011.
  8. ^ Sanders, Justin W. (February 24, 2015). "Daily Brief: Brand/Rebrand: YTV". PromaxBDA.
  9. ^ "Decision CRTC 96-603". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. September 4, 1996.
  10. ^ "ZAPX movies: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl". YTV. August 10, 2009. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009.
  11. ^ "Corus Entertainment 2000 Annual Report" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  12. ^ "CORUS ENTERTAINMENT AND COMCAST LAUNCH VORTEX ON DEMAND" (Press release). Toronto, Philadelphia: Corus Entertainment. July 7, 2005. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  13. ^ "Select on Demand". Comcast. May 16, 2007. Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  14. ^ "YTV Anime On Demand". YTV. Archived from the original on November 5, 2006.
  15. ^ "Corus Entertainment Q4 2015 Anaylst Call Transcript" (PDF). Corus Entertainment. October 22, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  16. ^ "Service Update: May 1 - Corus Apps Decommission". Shaw Communications. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "YTV goes glossy". Playback. February 8, 1999. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  18. ^ "Watch Out For Increased Distribution Of Ytv Whoa! Magazine This Spring". Corus Entertainment. April 5, 2002. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  19. ^ "YTV WHOA! Magazine Grows Up Into a Quarterly as Kids' Magazines Flourish on the Newsstands". Corus Entertainment. June 21, 2001. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  20. ^ "YTV Whoa! collector's issue will be published in honour of our 5th anniversary!". Paton Publishing. Archived from the original on March 25, 2007. Retrieved September 27, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  21. ^ "YTV's Whoa! gets clickable". Media in Canada. April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  22. ^ "YTV Whoa - Paton Publishing". Paton Publishing. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "The New Whoa! Magazine". Paton Publishing. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  24. ^ "Whoa! Magazine". Paton Publishing. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. ^ "YTV CD is #1 Selling Compilation in Canada". Corus Entertainment. March 27, 2001. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  26. ^ "WHO WILL BE THE NEXT STAR? NEW YTV TALENT SERIES PREMIERES FRIDAY, JULY 18 AT 6 P.M. ET/PT". Corus Entertainment. July 3, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  27. ^ "YTV launches kids Web site". Broadcaster Magazine. April 1, 2001. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  28. ^ "Yabber.net Homepage". Yabber. Archived from the original on June 14, 2004. Retrieved September 27, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  29. ^ "CORUS ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES UNPARALLELED ONLINE GAME-WORLD FOR TWEENS" (Press release). Toronto: Corus Entertainment. February 15, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  30. ^ "I wrote this whole magazine! I am the Anna Wintour of YTV! (If Vogue = mostly iCarly posters.) Msg me if you know kids & want copies!". Twitpic. July 29, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  31. ^ "YTV's Spills Magazine on Behance". Behance. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  32. ^ "YTV Direct". Youtube. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  33. ^ "Watch Nelvana Retro Now!". YTV. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  34. ^ "Flow Cable channel lineup". Flowjamaica.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  35. ^ Cable Bahamas channel lineup Archived August 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

External links[]

Retrieved from ""