CTV Specialty Television
A Canadian specialty-television company operating sports, factual, entertainment and related media assets.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
CTV Specialty Television is a Canadian media company whose corporate history traces back to Labatt Communications, established in 1984 by brewer John Labatt Ltd. The business was created around the development of specialty television in Canada, most notably through The Sports Network (TSN), a 24-hour sports channel launched while Labatt owned the Toronto Blue Jays. Over time, the company expanded into French-language sports programming, factual television, production, distribution and other specialty-channel ventures. The company's first major expansion came through Réseau des sports (RDS), the French-language sports service launched in 1989. In 1991, the business also established or operated Viewers Choice and SkyVision Entertainment. Its factual-television portfolio grew further in 1994 when Labatt, in partnership with Discovery Communications, launched the Canadian version of Discovery Channel. Labatt Communications changed ownership after Interbrew announced its acquisition of John Labatt Ltd. in 1995. Rather than remaining under the brewing group, the communications assets were purchased by a consortium consisting of Canadian investors and ESPN Inc. The transaction received approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in March 1996, and the company was renamed NetStar Communications Inc. ESPN's participation connected the Canadian business to a broader international sports-media network while Canadian investors retained a substantial ownership role. NetStar later became the subject of competing strategic interest. CanWest Global attempted to acquire the company, but ESPN vetoed that proposed transaction. CTV Inc., the former Baton Broadcasting, subsequently pursued a friendly acquisition. The CRTC approved the acquisition in March 2000. Because CTV already owned Sportsnet while NetStar owned TSN, regulators required CTV to divest one of the two competing sports services. CTV retained TSN and sold Sportsnet to Rogers. Following the acquisition, NetStar was renamed CTV Specialty Television Inc. The company subsequently became part of the wider corporate structures created when CTV Inc. was combined with Bell Canada and The Globe and Mail in Bell Globemedia. The broader group was renamed CTVglobemedia in 2007 and Bell Media in 2011. CTV Specialty Television consequently functions as a corporate vehicle within Bell Media's specialty-channel and related media operations rather than as a consumer-facing channel brand in its own right. Its portfolio has included TSN and its regional feeds, RDS and its related French-language services, factual channels, the U.S. entertainment service USA Network, and production operations such as Dome Productions. Some historically associated assets have ceased operations or moved elsewhere within Bell Media. ESPN Classic ended Canadian operations in 2023, while Exploration Production Inc. and Exploration Distribution Inc. were absorbed into Bell Media Studios in 2021. Other former holdings include NHL Network, Viewers Choice, WTSN and SkyVision Entertainment. The company therefore represents the corporate lineage and ownership structure behind a substantial portion of Canada's specialty television infrastructure, especially in sports broadcasting.
History
CTV Specialty Television originated in the expansion of Canadian specialty broadcasting during the 1980s. John Labatt Ltd., which owned the Toronto Blue Jays, established Labatt Communications in 1984 and used it to launch The Sports Network, a 24-hour sports channel. TSN became the central asset around which the company built a broader specialty-media portfolio. In 1989, the company introduced Réseau des sports, providing a French-language counterpart to TSN and extending its sports offering into Quebec and other francophone markets. During the early 1990s, Labatt Communications broadened beyond direct channel operations. It established or operated Viewers Choice and SkyVision Entertainment in 1991. In cooperation with Discovery Communications, it launched the Canadian Discovery Channel on December 31, 1994. These activities gave the company interests in pay television, factual programming, production and distribution in addition to sports broadcasting. The company's ownership changed after Interbrew announced the purchase of John Labatt Ltd. in 1995. A consortium of four Canadian investor groups and ESPN Inc. acquired the communications business. The investor group identified in the company's historical account consisted of Stephen Bronfman, the Caisse, Reitmans and senior management, while ESPN held a significant minority interest. The CRTC approved the transaction on March 15, 1996. The company then adopted the name NetStar Communications Inc., separating its identity from the brewing company that had created it. NetStar became strategically important within Canada's increasingly concentrated media sector. CanWest Global sought to acquire the company, but ESPN exercised a veto over that proposal. CTV Inc., formerly Baton Broadcasting, later offered to acquire NetStar in a transaction supported by the existing ownership. The CRTC approved the acquisition on March 24, 2000. Since CTV already controlled Sportsnet and NetStar controlled TSN, the regulator required CTV to dispose of one of the competing sports properties. CTV retained TSN, while Sportsnet was sold to Rogers. After the acquisition, NetStar was renamed CTV Specialty Television Inc. The corporate entity subsequently became part of the larger group formed through the combination of CTV Inc. with Bell Canada and The Globe and Mail. That group was known first as Bell Globemedia, then as CTVglobemedia from 2007, and finally as Bell Media from 2011. CTV Specialty Television thus became an ownership and operating company within Bell Media's specialty-channel structure. The portfolio associated with the company has included TSN, its regional feeds, RDS, RDS2 and RDS Info, as well as factual and entertainment services such as CTV Nature Channel, CTV Speed Channel, CTV Wild Channel and USA Network. The portfolio has changed over time as channels were rebranded, closed or transferred within Bell Media. Associated production and distribution operations included Exploration Production Inc. and Exploration Distribution Inc., which were absorbed into Bell Media Studios in February 2021. The company's historical holdings also included NHL Network, Viewers Choice, WTSN and SkyVision Entertainment. Dome Productions remains a major associated production operation, jointly owned with Rogers Media, providing mobile television production and uplink capabilities. CTV Specialty Television's history therefore follows the development of Canadian specialty broadcasting from a sports-channel venture into a diversified corporate media platform.
- 2023
ESPN Classic ceases operations
[1]ESPN Classic ends its operations as a Canadian specialty service associated with the portfolio.
- 2021
Exploration production and distribution companies are absorbed
[1]Exploration Production Inc. and Exploration Distribution Inc. are subsumed into Bell Media Studios.
- 2011
Bell Media name adopted
[1]The wider CTVglobemedia group is renamed Bell Media, under which CTV Specialty Television operates as a specialty-media corporate vehicle.
- 2007
The wider parent group is renamed CTVglobemedia
[1]The corporate group that includes CTV's operations adopts the CTVglobemedia name.
- 2000
CTV acquires NetStar
[1]The CRTC approves CTV Inc.'s acquisition of NetStar on March 24. CTV retains TSN and sells Sportsnet to Rogers to satisfy the regulatory divestiture requirement.
- 1996
The company becomes NetStar Communications
[1]The CRTC approves the ownership transaction on March 15, and Labatt Communications is renamed NetStar Communications Inc.
- 1995
Ownership transition follows Interbrew's Labatt acquisition
[1]Interbrew's acquisition of John Labatt Ltd. leads to the sale of the communications business to a Canadian investor consortium and ESPN Inc.
- 1994
Canadian Discovery Channel launches
[1]In partnership with Discovery Communications, Labatt launches the Canadian version of Discovery Channel on December 31.
- 1991
Viewers Choice and SkyVision activities begin
[1]The company establishes or begins operating Viewers Choice and SkyVision Entertainment.
- 1989
Réseau des sports launches
[1]The company launches the French-language sports service Réseau des sports, later known as RDS.
Products and positioning
A Canadian specialty-media operator anchored by national sports networks, French-language sports services and a portfolio of factual, entertainment and production assets.
Sports television network · 1984
The Sports Network (TSN)
TSN is the company's principal Canadian sports-media property and originated with the 1984 launch of Labatt Communications. It provides national sports programming and is distributed through multiple regional services, including TSN1 through TSN5. Its programming role made the network central to the company's corporate identity and was the reason CTV retained it while divesting Sportsnet during the 2000 NetStar acquisition.
French-language sports television network · 1989
Réseau des sports (RDS)
RDS is the French-language sports network launched in 1989 as the francophone counterpart to TSN. It serves French-speaking audiences in Canada and is supported by related services including RDS2 and RDS Info.
Sports television channels
TSN regional services
TSN1, TSN2, TSN3, TSN4 and TSN5 divide distribution across Canadian regions. The feeds support a national sports schedule while allowing regional scheduling and market-specific availability across western, central, eastern and northern parts of the country.
Factual television channel
CTV Nature Channel
CTV Nature Channel is a factual specialty service associated with the company's Canadian channel portfolio. It was formerly known as Discovery Science and focuses on nature and related factual programming.
Factual and automotive television channel
CTV Speed Channel
CTV Speed Channel is a specialty service associated with automotive and speed-oriented factual programming. It was formerly known as Discovery Velocity.
Nature and wildlife television channel
CTV Wild Channel
CTV Wild Channel is a wildlife-focused specialty service in the associated CTV portfolio. It was formerly known as Animal Planet.
Television production and outside-broadcast services
Dome Productions
Dome Productions is a jointly owned production company associated with CTV Specialty Television and Rogers Media. It operates mobile television production facilities, an uplink truck and uplink tractors for live sports and other large-scale broadcasts. The company has provided production infrastructure for more than three decades.
Pay-per-view television service · 1991
Viewers Choice
Viewers Choice was a pay-per-view television venture established or operated by the predecessor company in 1991. It later ceased operations in 2014.
Sports television network
NHL Network
CTV Specialty Television held an interest in NHL Network through NHL Network Inc., a joint venture involving the National Hockey League, selected NHL clubs and Insight Sports. The service ceased operations in 2015.
Sports television channel
ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic was a sports-history and archival programming service associated with the company's portfolio. Its Canadian operations ended in 2023.
Brand decisions
2023
End ESPN Classic operationsOtherBackground
ESPN Classic was a historically associated sports specialty service within the corporate portfolio.
Action taken
The Canadian service ceased operations in 2023.
Aftermath
The closure reduced the number of active specialty services associated with the company's historical portfolio.
2021
Integrate Exploration Production and DistributionStrategyBackground
Exploration Production Inc. and Exploration Distribution Inc. were in-house production and distribution companies associated with the Canadian Discovery Channel operation.
Action taken
Bell Media subsumed both entities into Bell Media Studios in February 2021.
Aftermath
Production and distribution activities were brought into a broader Bell Media studio structure rather than continuing through separate Exploration entities.
2000
Acquire NetStar CommunicationsM&ABackground
CTV Inc. sought to acquire NetStar, owner of TSN, after an earlier CanWest Global proposal was blocked by ESPN. The transaction required regulatory review because CTV already owned the competing Sportsnet service.
Action taken
CTV completed the acquisition after CRTC approval on March 24, 2000, renamed the acquired company CTV Specialty Television, retained TSN and divested Sportsnet to Rogers.
Aftermath
The transaction consolidated CTV's position in Canadian sports broadcasting while satisfying the regulator's competition-related divestiture requirement.
- Rogers — Rogers acquired Sportsnet as the divested competing sports network.
- CanWest Global — CanWest Global had previously sought to acquire NetStar, but the proposal did not proceed after ESPN vetoed it.
Recent events
- 2023
ESPN Classic ends operations in Canada[1]
Other
ESPN Classic, one of the historically associated specialty services, ceased operations in Canada.
- 2000
CTV acquisition of NetStar receives regulatory approval[1]
M&A · Regulation
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved CTV Inc.'s acquisition of NetStar Communications, subject to a requirement that CTV divest either TSN or Sportsnet.
- 1996
Labatt Communications is reorganized as NetStar Communications after ownership change[1]
M&A · Other
Following the sale of the communications business to a Canadian investor consortium and ESPN Inc., Labatt Communications was renamed NetStar Communications Inc.
Sources1 sources
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