As Teletoon (1997–2023)
YTV was originally intended to be the Canadian distributor of Cartoon Network, applying for a licence at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in late 1992. The original target was to launch the channel in late 1993 at earliest. The arrival came at a time when US cable networks were beginning to encroach Canadian cable, which, according to YTV's president Kevin Shea, could open new avenues for Canadian producers.[2] By early 1994, the planned Cartoon Network distribution licence was replaced by a new project, Fun TV. The new network was supposed to be owned by Rogers and CUC, owners of YTV, animation studios Nelvana and Cinar and the Toronto-Dominion Bank. The Cartoon Network output would later be given to another proposal owned by the backers of Family Channel.[3]
A new proposal was mooted in January 1996. 53.3% would be owned by the backers of Family Channel, 26,7% by YTV and 10% each by Cinar and Nelvana, who had supported Fun TV. It promised to spend CA$42 million on Canadian animated productions over a seven-year period.[4] The bid was not comparable to the US Cartoon Network, justifying that Turner's channel was attached to Hanna-Barbera's library and was mainly seen as nostalgia, according to Nelvana's chair Michael Hirsh. The new channel would cave some nostalgia, but would concentrate on newer titles, with emphasis on productions from all over the world. There would also be Japanese animation and adult animated titles, comparable to Fritz the Cat, at night.[5] Regulations suggested that it would cater to children from 6am to 6pm (commercial-free 3pm-6pm), families from 6pm to 10:30pm (including one animated movie during prime time) and a nightly news magazine about animation.[6]
On September 3, 1996,[7] Teletoon was one of the 23 licensed channels to be approved by the CRTC,[8] after a related application for a channel to be called "Fun TV" had been denied.[9] The channel was part of the "Gang of Four", referring to the first four of the 23 channels (the other three being CTV News 1, History Television and The Comedy Network) set to launch. These channels were already negotiating pricing conditions with the cable companies.[10] The English-language version of Teletoon launched on October 17, 1997.[11][12] The channel was originally owned by a consortium of other Canadian specialty services, including Family Channel acting as managing partner at 53.3% (Superchannel/WIC
Teletoon was licensed as a bilingual service in both English and French, being one of only two Canadian specialty services with such a license;[17] the channel maintains two feeds under the license, with the French feed operating under the branding Télétoon. At the original licensing hearing before the CRTC, the network's operators had stated that the two channels "would be similar in nature and programmed with a similar attitude towards them", but that there may be differences in their programming due to market differences (including Quebec's prohibition on advertising to children) and program rights. To this end, Teletoon often commissioned programming to air in both English and French whenever possible.[18]
As a condition of the license, Teletoon committed to devoting 40% of its programming to Canadian content in its first year of operation, gradually increasing by five per cent yearly to 60% by 2002. Over a similar timeframe, it also committed to similarly have at least half of its programming financed by, and commissioned from third parties unaffiliated with its owners.
In 1998, network management decided to focus on renewals instead of new shows—adopting a more cautious strategy than launching a significant number of new series, as it had in the prior year.[19] By 2001, the channel had invested over $96 million into 98 original productions since its launch; Teletoon's director of original programming Madeleine Levesque stated that "I don't think any other broadcaster has contributed so much, so well, so fast."[20]
On March 4, 2013, Corus Entertainment announced that it would acquire Astral's stake in Teletoon, giving it full ownership. The sale was part of divestitures tied to Astral Media's proposed sale to Bell Media, which had earlier been rejected by the CRTC in October 2012 for competition reasons.[21] Corus's purchase was cleared by the Competition Bureau two weeks later on March 18;[22] the transaction was approved by the CRTC on December 20, 2013,[23] and completed on January 1, 2014.[24] The channel was subsequently brought under the new Corus Kids division as part of a reorganization in February 2014, alongside YTV and Nelvana. Teletoon and its sister networks would maintain separate management from YTV.[25]
