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W Network

Canadian women's entertainment specialty channel From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"W (TV channel)" redirects here. For the Australian television channel formerly known as W. Channel, see SoHo (Australian TV channel). For the British television channel, see U&W.

W Network (often shortened to W) is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts general entertainment programming oriented towards a female audience.

Quick Facts Country, Broadcast area ...
W Network
CountryCanada
Broadcast areaNationwide
HeadquartersToronto, Ontario
Programming
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Timeshift serviceW Network East
W Network West
Ownership
OwnerCorus Entertainment
Sister channelsABC Spark
Slice
Showcase
Adult Swim
History
LaunchedJanuary 1, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-01-01)
Former namesWomen's Television Network (1995–2002)
Links
Websitewnetwork.com
Availability
Streaming media
Amazon Prime Video ChannelsStackTV
RiverTVChannel 11 (HD)
Close

W Network was established in 1995 as the Women's Television Network (WTN), which had a focus on women's lifestyle programming. The channel was eventually acquired by Corus in 2001 and relaunched under its current branding in 2002. As part of the relaunch, W's programming shifted to a mix of both entertainment and lifestyle programming. By 2017, W had moved its lifestyle programming to its sister networks, shifting to a general entertainment format targeting women. In 2018, the channel became part of output deals with Hallmark Media, and later Comcast's Peacock and Sky Studios in 2020 (an agreement shared with sister network Showcase).

The channel is available in two time shifted feeds, East (operating from the Eastern Time Zone) and West (operating from the Pacific Time Zone).

History

Summarize
Perspective

As Women's Television Network

Thumb
Women's Television Network logo; 1995-2002

In June 1994, Linda Rankin, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, (later incorporated as Lifestyle Television (1994) Limited, principally owned by Moffat Communications) was granted a television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to operate a channel called Lifestyle Television, described as offering "information and entertainment programming of particular interest to women."[1]

The channel subsequently launched on January 1, 1995 as the Women's Television Network (WTN).[2] Like Moffat's other cable television operations, WTN was headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Linda Rankin served as the president of the network from its launch.

Programming on the network was originally largely focused on lifestyle programming that many had suggested was "feminist" in nature.[3] Such programming included female takes on traditionally male-dominated activities such as fishing and mechanics, with Natural Angler and Car Care, respectively, while other programs, such as Go Girl!, took a comedic approach at parodying typical female-targeted talk shows that discussed subjects such as beauty and fashion.[3] Other programs included films, current affairs, and occasionally athletic-themed.

The channel suffered from low ratings in the start. Of the slew of new channels launched on January 1, 1995, WTN was initially the lowest-rated channel on average.[4][5] Linda Rankin later resigned in August 1995 citing "differences in management philosophy".[6]

As W Network

In December 2000, Shaw Communications announced it intended to purchase Moffat.[7] The deal was later closed in early 2001. Shaw announced in March 2001 that it would sell WTN to Corus Entertainment, a company that it spun off in 1999, for CA$205 million (Shaw had primarily acquired Moffat for its cable television systems).[8] Once Corus took ownership of the channel, it moved operations from Winnipeg to Toronto in mid-January 2002, laying off 50 employees in the process.[9] Corus subsequently relaunched the network as W on April 15, 2002, with a more entertainment-oriented mix of recent dramas and movies. On the same date, Corus launched the west coast feed.[10]

In 2009, Corus Entertainment acquired SexTV: The Channel from CTVglobemedia, and relaunched the channel as W Movies — a spin-off of W Network focusing on films aimed towards women, on March 1, 2010.[11] On December 12, 2016, W Movies was closed and replaced by a relaunched, Canadian version of the Cooking Channel.[12]

On August 2, 2011, the channel launched its HD feed, a simulcast of W Network's standard-definition Eastern-time feed. The HD feed was added to Bell Satellite TV satellite and Bell Fibe TV channel lineups on March 23, 2012. It was also available on Eastlink, Optik TV, Shaw Direct, SaskTel, Rogers Cable, Cogeco, and Access Communications.[13] On October 1, 2013, an HD feed for the Western-timed channel was launched on Shaw Cable, then on Shaw Direct on September 18, 2019.

2017–present

Since the 2017–18 season, W Network has re-oriented its programming towards scripted television series and films. The majority of its lifestyle programming, including the Property Brothers franchise, was moved to HGTV (now Home Network), as well as Corus' other women and lifestyle networks.[14]

Programming

Summarize
Perspective

W Network primarily broadcasts a mix of television dramas and films.[15] [14]

On October 25, 2018, Corus announced an output deal with Crown Media Holdings, giving W Network exclusive Canadian rights to original movies and series produced for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. W Network carries branded blocks of Hallmark Channel content, including seasonal programming events such as Countdown to Christmas; many of Hallmark's productions are filmed in Canada.[16][17]

In June 2020, Corus reached output agreements with NBCUniversal Global Distribution for Canadian rights to Peacock original series, shared primarily between W and sister network Showcase.[18] The following month, Corus also reached an agreement with sister company Sky Studios.[19] Devils served as one of the first to air on W as part of the Sky agreement.[20] As part of the Peacock agreement, the long-running soap opera Days of our Lives (which had long-been carried by sister broadcast network Global in simulcast with NBC) moved to W Network in September 2022.[21]

W previously produced and aired unscripted reality shows and lifestyle programming; it was well known for originating the Love It or List It and Property Brothers franchises seen on HGTV in the U.S. These programs moved to Corus' other lifestyle networks (particularly HGTV Canada and Slice) following W's shift to scripted programming.[14]

List of programming

Original series

Acquired programming

References

External links

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