Slice (TV channel)
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment |
- "Life Network" redirects here. For the earlier, now-defunct Canadian television network of similar name, see The Life Channel.
Slice is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment.
Slice broadcasts lifestyle and entertainment programming aimed at women in the form of reality television series, documentaries, talk shows, and other features. Program topics typically focus on such areas as fashion and beauty, entertainment, health, finance, and relationships.
History
Life Network
In June 1994, Your Channel Television Inc., a company majority owned by Atlantis Television Ventures Inc. (Atlantis Communications), was granted a television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a channel called YOU: Your Channel, described at the time as broadcasting "programming consisting of documentaries and information programming." The channel was grouped into five themes, ""Habitat" stressing programming for the home and environment; "Bodyworks" covering fitness, health and nutrition; "Food Plus" including programs related to cooking and food; "Explorations" dealing with travel, adventure and nature; and "Relationships" focusing on parenting, child care, careers and personal relationships."[1]
The channel was launched on January 1, 1995, as Life Network.[2] The channel broadcast programs in themes focusing on such areas as food, gardening, and home design.
In June 1998, Atlantis Communications announced that it planned to merge with Alliance Communications,[3] another fellow television and film producer and broadcaster, owners of History Television and Showcase at the time,[4] to form a new company called Alliance Atlantis Communications. The CRTC approved the merger in May 1999.[4]
Programming on the channel shifted to programming about issues relating to everyday life, mostly in the form of non-competitive reality television, talk shows, as other Alliance Atlantis-owned channels such as HGTV and Food Network launched in 1997 and 2000, respectively.
Slice
Plans to relaunch the channel as Slice were announced in November 2, 2006 by Alliance Atlantis Communications.[5] The new name and programming reflects Life's shift towards a more entertainment based schedule with what Alliance Atlantis called "addictive" programming. The name was revealed in a 2006 Life Network online survey on future programming strategies. The channel was relaunched on March 5, 2007, although the on-air branding appeared intermittently during a "sneak preview" on March 3 and 4.
On January 18, 2008,[6] a joint venture between Canwest and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners known as CW Media,[7] acquired control of Slice through its purchase of Alliance Atlantis' broadcasting assets, which were placed in a trust in August 2007.[8] On October 27, 2010, ownership changed again as Shaw Communications gained control of Slice as a result of its acquisition of Canwest and Goldman Sachs' interest in CW Media.[9][10]
On May 29, 2013, Shaw Media launched Slice HD, a high definition simulcast of the standard definition feed. It is currently available on EastLink, Shaw Direct, Shaw Cable, Bell Fibe TV & Bell TV. In the same year, Slice began using an alternative blue logo for certain programs.
On April 1, 2016, Slice's parent company Shaw Media was sold to Corus Entertainment.[11] Since then, Slice has been under the same ownership as Corus' other women's networks, including Cosmopolitan TV, a Category B entertainment channel co-owned by Hearst and the W Network.
Programming
Slice is known to air numerous series from the U.S. cable network, Bravo, in addition to producing several original programs of its own.
Notable series
- 72 Hours
- Big Brother: After Dark
- Big Brother Canada
- Big Brother Canada Side Show
- Casino Confidential
- Dogs with Jobs
- Ex-Wives of Rock
- Four Weddings Canada
- Friends
- Kendra on Top
- King of the Nerds
- Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
- Mob Wives
- My Teenage Wedding
- Princess (TV series)
- See no Evil
- Til Debt Do Us Part
- The Hero
- The Real Housewives of Atlanta
- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
- The Real Housewives of Dallas
- The Real Housewives of New York City
- The Real Housewives of New Jersey
- The Real Housewives of Orange County
- The Real Housewives of Potomac
- The Real Housewives of Vancouver
- The Real Housewives of Toronto
- Wedding SOS
Logos
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| 1995–2003 | 2003–2007 | 2007–2016 | 2016–2017 |
References
- ^ Decision CRTC 94-279 CRTC 1994-06-06
- ^ Tier Two Turns Ten Mediacaster Magazine 2005-03-01
- ^ Merger creates film, TV giant Toronto Star 1998-07-22
- ^ a b Decision CRTC 99-106 1999-05-20
- ^ Alliance Atlantis To Launch SLICE Broadcaster Magazine 2006-11-02
- ^ Canwest Global receives final CRTC approval for acquisition of Alliance Atlantis CNW press release 2008-01-18
- ^ Goldman's happy ending at CanWest The Globe and Mail 2010-05-03
- ^ CanWest Completes Acquisition of Alliance Atlantis Investor Point 2007-08-15
- ^ Shaw Communications closes purchase of Canwest TV assets, rebrands as Shaw Media[permanent dead link]
- ^ CRTC approves Shaw's purchase of the Canwest Global television properties Archived 2013-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Corus Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Shaw Media". Retrieved April 2, 2016.