MTV is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel devoted to talk, lifestyle and documentary programming. MTV is a wholly owned property of CTVglobemedia, with its name licensed from the American channel of the same name, which is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom.
The channel launched as talktv in 2000, but was not as widely available prior to its relaunch as MTV in March 2006. Unlike MTV channels in the U.S. and elsewhere, the channel cannot carry music videos and is limited in its ability to carry music programming due to Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) genre exclusivity restrictions, thus it is just called MTV instead of MTV Music Television . MuchMusic, now a sister channel of the Canadian MTV channel, had been launched in 1984 with exclusivity in the mainstream music category.
History
MTV in Canada before 2006
Further information: MTV2 (Canada)CHUM Limited launched Canadian music channel MuchMusic in 1984, inspired by the success of MTV in the United States. CRTC genre exclusivity restrictions prevented MTV from either bringing its U.S. channel directly into Canada or setting up a homegrown competitor. As a result, MTV was initially content to sell Canadian rights to its programming for rebroadcast on MuchMusic. However, relations between the two channels were strained in the mid-1990s when CHUM launched an American version of MuchMusic (later resold and now known as Fuse) in direct competition with MTV.
In October 2001, MTV partnered with Craig Media to launch MTV Canada as a digital cable channel. It was licensed by the CRTC as a broadly based teen channel. One of the conditions of licence was that a maximum of 10% of the schedule could be devoted to music videos. In 2003, CHUM filed a compliant with the CRTC alleging that MTV Canada was airing more music videos than allowed by its licence and had subsequently become competitive with MuchMusic. In Broadcasting Decision 2003-65, the CRTC found that MTV Canada was offering a music-based service rather than a broadly-based teen channel. Furthermore, the Commission found that MTV was broadcasting in excess of 10% music video clips and that MTV was not meeting its commitment to provide educational programming for teens, nor was it providing any programming from independent educational authorities. Craig was ordered to come into compliance with its broadcasting licence.
After CHUM purchased Craig in 2004, MTV Networks terminated the agreement with Craig, due to MTV Networks exercising its right to terminate the agreement at anytime if there was a change in ownership. CHUM Limited was required to pay MTV Networks the remaining licensing fees which amounted to $10 million (Canadian). On June 30, 2005, MTV Canada was re-branded Razer, which is now under the ownership of CTVglobemedia as a result of a buyout of CHUM Limited in 2007. On August 1, 2008 Razer was rebranded to MTV2, making it once again an MTV branded channel.
talktv
Talktv was licensed in 1996, but did not launch until four years later in 2000. Talktv was home to repeats of CTV talk shows, as well as a six hour afternoon/evening program, The Chatroom , which aired every weekday until mid-2002, usually broadcast from the CTV-owned Masonic Temple in Toronto. The program featured future CTV network personalities Seamus O'Regan and Ben Mulroney, as well as Craig Norris (currently of CBC Radio 3) and Jennifer Hollett (later a MuchMusic VJ). In 1999, talktv also acquired the broadcast rights to Pamela Wallin Live , formerly broadcast on CBC Newsworld. On talktv, the program was renamed Pamela Wallin's talktv .
Talktv had been licensed as an analog channel, allowing cable companies to offer it without a digital cable box, and was one of the last specialty channels to be launched with that status (all specialty channels licensed since 2001 have been specifically limited to digital distribution). However, it was not explicitly required to receive analog carriage either, provided the provider had already launched digital services. Due to this, combined with the channel's late launch and cable systems approaching capacity for analog channels, talktv was only available by digital means, aside from a handful of major markets such as Toronto.
Because of low ratings, and much more narrow distribution than other specialty channels, The Chatroom was cancelled in 2002, following which talktv became solely a repeat service for CTV network programming and repeated segments of The Chatroom . Ironically, this came just after the CRTC had granted it the right to charge seven cents per subscriber when carried on basic cable, whereas it was previously made available to these viewers free of charge.
The final show broadcast on talktv was on March 20 at 11:30 p.m. EST; specifically that night's episode of eTalk Daily , followed at midnight by a large, red MTV logo and an 18 hour countdown clock for the launch.
MTV relaunch
On September 28 , 2005 , CTV and MTV Networks announced that talktv would be relaunched as a new incarnation of MTV Canada while continuing to maintain its licence requirement to provide "dynamic, interactive, lifestyle, talk and documentary programming" with over 68% Canadian content. Brad Schwartz, previously an executive with MTV Networks, became the general manager of MTV Canada. Schwartz is now the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the newly formed MuchMTV Group. In the September 28 press release, CTV claimed to have applied for a category 2 licence that would feature music videos, along the lines of the former MTV2 Canada (now PunchMuch). The application is believed to have been abandoned.
CTV already had strong ties with MTV; it was the first broadcast network to air The Osbournes , which aired during prime time, uncensored and subsequently added Punk'd , and Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica .
CTV's "exclusive" rights to MTV content meant that CHUM's MuchMusic lost all rights to MTV programming immediately following the announcement. CHUM released a statement saying that they would be intrigued as to how talktv could be morphed into MTV without violating its CRTC broadcasting licence, and filed a complaint with the CRTC. However, the CRTC was unable to take preemptive action based on a press release.
Since MTV uses the same broadcasting licence CTV held for talktv, CTV is restricted by the following conditions of licence:
- an emphasis on talk programs
- a minimum of 68% of the daytime programming must be Canadian content
- a minimum of 71% of the prime time programming (6-12 PM EST) must be Canadian content
In February 2006, MTV began promoting their launch date with a series of ads with the slogan "the drought ends 03.21.06" some of which appeared during various programs across Bell Globemedia's (now CTVglobemedia) television platforms.
Talktv's bug began periodically changing into an MTV logo to notify viewers of the coming change. On March 1, 2006 the network identifier on several program guides changed from talktv to MTVCAN, additionally the sole program listed was MTV is Coming, though this was not an actual program and the talktv schedule remained.
The actual relaunch occurred on March 21 at 6:00 p.m. EST, with the first edition of MTV Live . The start of MTV Live was preceded (at 5:58:20 p.m. EST) by a ten-second countdown featuring water drops with "MTV drops" appearing at the end, followed by a 90-second promo featuring various people wearing beige MTV shirts falling out of the sky signifying that the drought was over, as seen in the launch promos.
The relaunch as MTV did not affect the channel's analogue status. In fact many analogue cable viewers that never had access to talktv were able to view the channel at, or soon after, its relaunch. Analogue coverage has been greatly expanded, and many channel placements improved, through new deals with Rogers Cable, Bell TV, Shaw Direct and others.
The channel held its official on-air launch party on April 18 , 2006 , with live performances by Kanye West and Sam Roberts. These performances were edited into several specials that are aired on CTV.
Programming
Further information: List of programs broadcast by MTV (Canada)The Canadian version of MTV carries most of the reality television series that currently dominate the schedule of its U.S. counterpart. However, music-based programming is notably absent from the channel. It has been widely speculated that MTV in Canada does not show music programming because of MuchMusic, however that is not the case. Because the broadcasting licence issued for talktv did not allow for any music programming, MTV in Canada can not show music based programs. Because of this, the MTV logo used by MTV in Canada never includes the phrase "Music Television", unlike other MTV-branded channels around the world. However, since mid-2007, MuchMusic and its affiliated channels including MuchMore have been under the same ownership as MTV in Canada, following CTVglobemedia's acquisition of CHUM Limited, meaning the former rival networks are now sister channels.
Before the re-launch, The Globe and Mail reported that the network would "... be quite different from what most
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