WWE Network is a Canadian English language

specialty channel A specialty channel (also known in the United States as a cable channel or cable network) can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted ...

programmed by WWE and distributed by

Rogers Sports & Media Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, ...

. Its programming consists entirely of the linear feed offered as part of the

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...

video streaming service.

History and distribution

The channel launched on August 12, 2014, using a dedicated channel within the existing

Sportsnet PPV Sportsnet PPV is a Canadian pay-per-view (PPV) service owned by Rogers Communications. It is the PPV service used by Rogers Cable, Cogeco Cable and Source Cable for offering out-of-market sports packages and occasionally other special events. Sinc ...

licence, similar to how Rogers initially distributed the Sportsnet World service. The channel is offered on a subscription basis on Rogers Cable and, according to Rogers, has been offered to all other cable, satellite, and IPTV service providers across Canada. ''Captured by:

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

.'' Rogers has indicated that other providers have shown interest in carrying the channel, but that negotiations are ongoing and may "take some time". Rogers also sponsored an application by WWE to the

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcast ...

(CRTC) to add the WWE Network (U.S.) linear channel as a non-Canadian programming service authorized for distribution, which will ultimately replace the Rogers-operated PPV channel. This application was published on September 10, 2014, and was open for public comment until October 10. The launch of WWE Network in Canada as a traditional cable TV channel is part of an exclusive Canadian distribution agreement between Rogers and WWE, which runs through 2024, and includes Rogers'

Sportsnet 360 Sportsnet 360 (SN360) is a Canadian discretionary specialty channel owned by Rogers Media. The channel was launched in 1994 as the licence-exempt service Sportscope, which featured a display of sports news and scores. In 1997, the network was ...

retaining exclusive rights to WWE's weekly programming ( E!'s reality series '' Total Divas'', which airs on its Canadian counterpart, owned by

Bell Media Bell Media Inc. (French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies. Establishment (2011–13) On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...

, was not affected by this agreement). This means that Rogers controls the Canadian distribution of WWE Network and will not immediately be making it available on an over-the-top basis (i.e. without going through a service provider such as Rogers), though Rogers has not ruled out making it available via over-the-top (OTT) in the future. On November 26, 2014, The CRTC approved adding the WWE Network to the list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution (the list), part of the approval for the WWE Network. Rogers confirmed that the WWE Network service that it proposed to distribute in Canada would broadcast the same content as that broadcast by the WWE Network service in the United States and that the service would complement its other offerings, such as various sporting programs on Sportsnet 360 and live events on pay-per-view. On December 17, 2014, the network launched on Eastlink, making it the first provider other than Rogers to carry it. On February 12, 2015, Rogers announced a carriage agreement with

Cogeco Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications and media company. Its corporate offices are located at 1 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec. The company is structured into three strategic business units (SBU); Cogeco Connexion, Breezelin ...

Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton * Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...

Vidéotron Vidéotron is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Owned by Quebecor, it primarily ...

and

Telus Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services ...

. It launched for

Telus TV Telus Optik TV is a product of Telus Communications, a subsidiary of Telus Corporation, that provides IPTV service in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec. The service offers over 630 digital channels, including more ...

, Videotron,

Bell Satellite TV Bell Satellite TV (french: Bell Télé; formerly known as Bell ExpressVu, Dish Network Canada and ExpressVu Dish Network and not to be confused with Bell's IPTV Fibe TV service) is the division of BCE Inc. that provides satellite television ser ...

and

Bell Fibe TV Bell Fibe TV is an IP-based television service offered by Bell Canada in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is bundled with a FTTN or FTTH Bell Internet service, and uses the Mediaroom platform. Bell Fibe TV officially launched on Septem ...

on February 25,

Cogeco Cable Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications and media company. Its corporate offices are located at 1 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec. The company is structured into three strategic business units (SBU); Cogeco Connexion, Breezeline ( ...

on March 24, and

and

Shaw Direct Shaw Direct is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada and a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Shaw Communications. As of 2010, Shaw Direct had over 900,000 subscribers. It broadcasts on Ku band from two commu ...

on March 17. As of March 9, 2015, those who have subscribed to the WWE Network, via a cable or satellite provider, can now access it through the over-the-top streaming service at http://Watch.WWE.com. This service is currently available to Rogers, Eastlink, and Optik TV subscribers, with more to be added in the future. As of late 2015

Sasktel Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation, operating as SaskTel, is a Canadian crown-owned telecommunications firm based in the province of Saskatchewan. Owned by the provincial government, it provides wireline and wireless communicat ...

has begun carrying the WWE Network. On March 23, 2017, WWE Network On Demand launched on

On Demand, Fibe TV App,

On Demand and Bell Aliant Fibe TV On Demand. As of October 1, 2021, WWE Network became available as a standalone service in Canada through Rogers'

Sportsnet Now Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then w ...

over-the-top streaming service.

Programming

The channel itself carries approximately 20 hours of programming each day, seven days a week, drawn directly from the U.S. streaming service's linear channel. The subscription also includes access to a

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...

library with a limited number of offerings, accessible via cable

set-top box A set-top box (STB), also colloquially known as a cable box and historically television decoder, is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV-tuner input and displays output to a television set and an external source of s ...

(somewhat similar to the former WWE Classics on Demand package), but does not currently provide access to the Internet-based on-demand library. ''Captured by:

.''

References

External links

* {{Professional wrestling in Canada WWE Network Television channels and stations established in 2014 Sports television networks in Canada Sportsnet Rogers Communications English-language television stations in Canada Digital cable television networks in Canada Professional wrestling in Canada Professional wrestling streaming services WWE in Canada 2014 establishments in Canada

History and distribution

Programming

See also

References

External links