Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a

specialty service 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 target ...

operator in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Shannon, and

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Alliance Atlantis was the result of a merger of two companies:

Atlantis Communications Atlantis Communications was a Canadian production company and television broadcaster that was formed in 1978 by Queen's University students Michael MacMillan, Janice L. Platt and Seaton S. MacLean. It was later merged in 1998 with Alliance Comm ...

, founded in 1978 by

Michael MacMillan Michael I. M. MacMillan (born 1957) is a Canadian film and broadcasting executive who is the CEO of Blue Ant Media. Career MacMillan was previously the Executive Chairman of Alliance Atlantis. Macmillan co-founded Atlantis Films in 1978. In it ...

, Janice L. Platt and Seaton S. MacLean, and Alliance Communications, founded in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Héroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos, Andras Hamori and Susan Cavan as Alliance Entertainment. Alliance Communications and Atlantis Communications merged to form Alliance Atlantis in 1998 which was a member of the North American Broadcasting Association (NABA). The company ceased to exist in 2007 as the broadcasting division was acquired by

Canwest Global Communications Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place (now called 201 Portage). It held radio, t ...

and an affiliate of

Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...

that year. The motion picture division was then spun off and operated independently as

Alliance Films Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP; and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec; or simply Alliance) was a Canadian motion picture distributi ...

, headquartered in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

(subsequently sold to

Entertainment One Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...

and later,

Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...

), and the international television distribution division was sold to Echo Bridge Entertainment. All of the former Alliance Atlantis specialty networks, except for the now-defunct BBC Kids, are now owned by

Corus Entertainment Corus Entertainment Inc. (often simply known as Corus) is a Canadian mass media and television production company. The company was founded in 1987 as Shaw Radio Ltd. as a subsidiary of Shaw Communications and was spun-off from Shaw in 1999. It h ...

. The films division was later acquired by

group and folded into eOne on January 9, 2013. Most of the assets of eOne, which included Alliance Atlantis' films division and television library, were later acquired by Lionsgate on December 27, 2023. The Alliance name survived under the Alliance Cinemas banner until January 1, 2021; the theaters under the chain are now owned by

Cineplex Entertainment Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Entertainment and Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian operator of movie theater and family entertainment centers, headquartered in Toronto. It is the largest cinema chain in Canada; as of 2019, it operated 165 loc ...

Formation and history

Alliance Atlantis was formed in 1998 from the merger of two former production companies, Alliance Communications (founded in 1984) and

(founded in 1978). As President and Board Director of the subsequent combined Alliance Atlantis, Lewis Rose was responsible for leading the teams which arranged the merger financing of $545 million and which achieved in excess of $20 million in savings and synergies from the combination of the two companies in the year following the merger. (The merger was also parodied on '' Made in Canada'', when that show's Pyramid Productions merged with a company called Prodigy.) After the merger, the company laid off 15% of their staff (much of them from pre-merger Aliiance), and closed the former Atlantis sales office in Amsterdam. As part of the merger deal, Robert Lantos, founder of Alliance, signed a deal for film and TV production with Alliance Atlantis through his own firm, Serendipity Point Films. At the time of the merger, both companies had launched various Canadian specialty

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

services; in 1995, Alliance launched Showcase Television while Atlantis launched Life Network (which has since been renamed "Slice"); in fall 1997 the companies launched History Television and HGTV Canada respectively. Earlier that year, Alliance Atlantis teamed up with Hallmark Cards to create Crayola Kids Adventures, a series of three

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

adaptations of well-known children's novels. Atlantis had also been a major investor in YTV in its first few years before selling out to

Shaw Communications Shaw Communications Inc. was a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian telecommunication, telecommunications company which provided telephone, Internet, television, and mobile services. The company was founded in 1966 as Capital Cable Televisio ...

and later,

from 1999. In 1998, the company purchased 75% of Cineplex Odeon Films. In 1999, German Kinowelt purchased an interest in Alliance Atlantis' UK distribution arm, which was soon renamed to Momentum Pictures in 2000. Also that year, the company secured the Canadian rights to distribute features by Destination Films. Also in 2000, it purchased the rights to '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' from Disney's

Touchstone Television The second incarnation of Touchstone Television, formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios, was an American television production company and a subsidiary of the Disney Television Studios, a subsidiary of the Disney Media Networks business s ...

. Another major deal in 2000 was a renewal of their distribution pact with

Artisan Entertainment Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until i ...

, including Canadian distribution of Artisan material, and UK theatrical distribution of Artisan films via Momentum Pictures. The company expanded its business with its launch of its children's production label AAC Kids in 1999, and its nonfiction production label, AAC Fact in 2000. These labels were dissolved in 2003. In April 2000, AAC Kids signed a European co-financing and distribution deal with German studio

TV-Loonland AG TV-Loonland AG was a German branding and management company that specialized in the production of children's programmes. The company's offices were located in Europe (Paris, Munich and London). The company's mascot is a sheep on a blue dome. His ...

. The distribution deal was valued at $14 million. In July 2000 three months before Alliance Atlantis launch AAC Fact, Alliance Atlantis entered the documentary & nonfiction programming by acquiring independent producer and distributor Great North Communications for C$6 million. The acquisition of Great North had given Alliance Atlantis their own documentary and nonfiction production division. In 2001, the company purchased Salter Street Films, which produced a number of television shows for both the Canadian and international market. However, soon after the acquisition, Salter Street was disbanded and its active projects were transferred to Alliance Atlantis' own television production/development division. Citing lower profits, Alliance Atlantis later closed the majority of its production arm, aside from the highly profitable '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' family of series, which it co-produces with

CBS Television Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount (Network) Television, as a re ...

. It briefly maintained Salter Street's long-running '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' before transferring the show to the Halifax Film Company, made up of former Salter Street employees. Its primary business became its ownership of a number of Canadian specialty services, which, in addition to those listed above, later included

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

, Discovery Health (now FYI Canada),

BBC Canada BBC Canada was a Canadian English language specialty channel that mostly broadcast television series originally produced by the BBC, the public-service broadcaster of the United Kingdom. The channel was owned by Corus Entertainment (80% & managi ...

, BBC Kids and more. Throughout the years, the company had purchased assets of several bankrupt studios, including Norstar Entertainment, Telescene, Peace Arch, Cinemavault, Odeon Films and in 2005, had bought out the television library of Fireworks Distributing Corporation from

CanWest Global Communications Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place (now called 201 Portage). It held radio, t ...

. In 2007, Alliance Atlantis was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, as published in ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' magazine, the only broadcaster to be included on the list.

Sale to CanWest / Goldman Sachs

On December 20, 2006, the company announced that it was "exploring strategic alternatives", effectively putting the company up for sale. Expected bidders included

Canwest Global Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place (now called 201 Portage). It held radio, ...

Astral Media Astral Media Inc. was a Canadian media conglomerate. It was Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 84 radio stations in eight provinces. Astral was also a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, with 23 specialty channel ...

, and

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...

. The rights to ''CSI'' were expected to be sold separately, with CBS Paramount Television as the most likely bidder. A similar announcement was made previously regarding the Motion Picture Distribution unit, which is also expected to be sold separately while finding a bidder to acquire most parts of the company. On January 10, 2007, it was announced that Alliance Atlantis would be acquired by a consortium of

and GS Capital Partners, an affiliate of

. *The Entertainment and Production division, consisting mainly of AAC's 50% stake in the lucrative ''CSI'' franchise, was acquired by GS Capital Partners. CBS Paramount TV gained Alliance Atlantis' international distribution rights to the programs. **Alliance Atlantis' international television distribution operations were sold by

Goldman Sachs Capital Partners Goldman Sachs Alternatives is the alternative investment arm of Goldman Sachs, focused on private equity, private credit, secondaries, real estate, infrastructure, and growth equity investments globally. The group, which is based in New York ...

to Echo Bridge Entertainment. *Motion Picture Distribution LP, including its publicly traded income fund, was acquired by Canada-based EdgeStone Capital Partners and GS Capital Partners. On January 15, 2008, Edgemont's 51% voting stake (and 38.5% equity stake) in the Alliance label was purchased by Société générale de financement du Québec, an investment agency of the provincial government. Since the breakup, the company's films have been distributed under the "Alliance" banner for English-language releases and "Alliance Vivafilm" for French-language releases until the sale of the company to eOne. *The Broadcasting division was jointly acquired by Canwest and GS Capital Partners, with the former owning a majority voting interest and the latter a majority of the equity. Canwest owns 66.67% and GS owns 33.32% of CW Media, the holding company for the former AAC channels. Initially, Canwest still managed the channels it owned before the merger separately. It was expected that the Canwest and CW Media broadcasting divisions would eventually be merged, potentially also giving GS a sizable interest in

Global Global may refer to: General *Globe, a spherical model of celestial bodies *Earth, the third planet from the Sun Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 198 ...

and other Canwest channels (these plans became moot after Canwest's creditor protection filings).

Ramifications

Following Canwest seeking creditor protection in late 2009, Shaw Communications subsequently took over most of Alliance Atlantis's former broadcasting assets as of October 27, 2010. after CRTC approval for the sale was announced on October 22. Alliance Atlantis (CW Media) became part of the

Shaw Media Shaw Media, Inc. was the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. It owned the Global Television Network, which broadcasts nationally via 13 television stations, as well as 19 specialty channels including Slice (TV channel), Slice ...

division.

acquired

on April 1, 2016. Entertainment One would later acquire Alliance Films on January 9, 2013, and all of their subsidiaries from Goldman Sachs Group, similar to the purchase of Maple Pictures a year prior. eOne subsequently adopted the 2004 Alliance Atlantis fanfare, still in use by Alliance Films, for their own logo. On November 20, 2014, Echo Bridge Entertainment sold Alliance Atlantis' children's programs, including the international distribution rights to the '' Degrassi'' franchise, to

DHX Media WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of children's television programmin ...

. In 2017, producer Steven Paul announced that he would acquire the non-family assets of Echo Bridge Entertainment, including the international distribution rights to Alliance Atlantis' library (with the exception of its children's programs that are still owned by DHX Media/WildBrain) and later folded it into SP Releasing, in turn licensed most of Alliance Atlantis, Cineplex Odeon Films, Echo Bridge and PM Entertainment libraries to

FilmRise FilmRise is an American media company, headquartered in New York City, that operates a film and television studio and a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) network. As of November 2024, the FilmRise app has reported more than 31.5 milli ...

for digital distribution and online streaming. eOne in turn was acquired by U.S. toy maker

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...

in 2019. On August 3, 2023, Hasbro announced that it would sell most of eOne's assets, including the copyrights and Canadian distribution rights to the library of Alliance Atlantis, to

(which Hasbro attempted to acquire in 2017). The deal closed on December 27, 2023.

Assets

Broadcasting

Channels marked in bold lettering indicates Alliance Atlantis was the managing partner. ;Specialty channels *

(80%) (now defunct) * BBC Kids (80%) (now defunct) * Discovery Health Canada (80%) (Now FYI Canada, now defunct) * Fine Living Canada (80.24%) (later replaced by DIY Network Canada) * Food Network Canada (57.58%) * HGTV Canada (80.24%) * History Television (now History Canada) * IFC Canada (now defunct) * National Geographic Channel Canada (80%) * Showcase * Showcase Action (now Action, later replaced by

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

) * Showcase Diva (now Lifetime Canada) * Slice * Historia (50%) with

owned the other stake. *

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

(37.77%) (now owned by ZoomerMedia) * SCREAM (49%) (now defunct; last known as Dusk, later become ABC Spark) with

owned the other stake * Séries+ (50%) with

owned the other stake * Score Media Inc. (25.93%) ** HARDtv (now Playmen TV) ** OutTV **

The Score The Score may refer to: Films and television * The Score (1978 film), ''The Score'' (1978 film), a 1978 Swedish film, released in Sweden as ''Lyftet'' * The Score (2001 film), ''The Score'' (2001 film), a 2001 crime drama film starring Robert De Ni ...

(now Sportsnet 360) ;Websites *

BlogTV BlogTV was a live-streaming video blog service. It was first established in Ramat Gan, Israel in January 2004 by founders Ilan Ben-Dov, Dan Chen, Guy Eliav, Nir Ofir, and Oren Levy as a webcasting company. The service is operated under the Tapuz ...

(Now defunct, merged with YouNow) ;Proposed but never launched *Adventure One (devoted entirely to documentary and human-interest programming that pushes the boundaries of exploration and adventure. It will not only celebrate adventure but also use the excitement of adventure programming as a vehicle to explore and explain the deeper issues of conservation and earth and cultural sustainability that underline the important work and mission of the National Geographic Society) *Aviation TV (dedicated to all aspects of flight and aviation including airplanes and flyers) *The Canadian Consumer Channel (dedicated to providing Canadians with timely, useful information about the goods and services they consume on a daily basis. The service will present unbiased buying advice on major products in all categories (from toys to household appliances); ratings on brands in all categories; information on product repair history and recalls as well as environmental concerns; and, in-depth investigative reports on financial services, employment services, travel packages and other services of keen interest to Canadian consumers) *Canal Aventure (devoted exclusively to documentaries on exploration and adventure) *Canal National Geographic (devoted to documentaries on geography, cultures of the world, anthropology, explorations of far-away places, nature conservation, and geopolitics) *Classics TV (devoted to the timeless classic popular television and film programming from Canada and around the world. The classics from the silver screen and Hollywood's golden age will also be presented. The service will also broadcast any popular television programming from the past) *Comedy for Kids (dedicated exclusively to comedy programming targeting children aged 5 to 17 years and their families) *Corporate TV (devoted to corporate news and information about companies operating in Canada and around the world, including live and taped coverage of corporate meetings, press conferences and other corporate events as well as general corporate information) *Cottage Life (entirely devoted to information and lifestyle programming about cottage communities; cottage activities such as boating, swimming, fishing, golfing, water sports and indoor games; information about buying, selling and renovating cottage properties; programs of special interest to the cottage owner dealing with such matters as shoreline, docks, decks, boathouses, water supply, wood stoves; cottage cooking and recipes; and the history of cottaging) eventually launched in 2013 *DIY Television (designed for the do-it-yourselfer of all levels. The service will be entirely devoted to programs that offer Canadians an interactive television experience that provides immediate access to detailed step by step instructions, in-depth demonstrations, and tips for do-it-yourself projects) *Girls TV (dedicated to serving the entertainment and information needs of young female television viewers, aged 5 to 17 years, with a special emphasis on programs that embody a sense of confidence, empowerment and positive self-image) *Jobs TV (dedicated to providing employers, job seekers and Canadians interested in the latest employment opportunities with information relating to the work world, employment, and trends in the workforce) *Justice TV (dedicated to documentaries, movies and drama series related to law and order. The programming will consist of programs about police forces, the justice system, lawyers and law firms. The service will also feature magazine-style programs focusing on the criminal justice system in Canada, great crimes and trials, and ethical issues facing judges and citizens today) *The Luxe Network (dedicated to programming about the finer things in life. This service will feature all things that can bring a taste of the luxurious into our lives, from vacations and leisure activities to home furnishings and fashion. The Luxe Network will become the ultimate source of information and entertainment about the best quality products and services in Canada and around the world. The service will schedule documentaries, magazine-style and human interest programs) *Magazine Rack Television (devoted to programs based primarily on Canadian magazines. Each program will adapt the brand and content of a magazine to television. Programming will resemble a magazine display with Canadian magazines at its forefront and other magazines on its shelves) *Martial Arts TV (dedicated to the martial arts and martial arts programs, including programs from around the world showcasing the various styles of martial arts such as kung fu, karate, judo, tae kwan do, kendo, jujitsu, and aikido. The licensee will also provide programming dealing with martial arts philosophies and leaders) *Military Television (featuring programs related to the history, analysis and dramatization of armed conflict and military matters, peacekeeping, and warfare throughout the world. Programming will consist of series, feature films, drama, documentaries and information as well as analysis and magazine style programs) *Nature TV (offering programming focusing on the entertaining and informative aspects of nature and wildlife and featuring plants, animals, marine life, geography and people who explore the natural world) *Nostalgia TV (entirely dedicated to classic television series, sitcoms and feature films. The service will also include occasional magazine style shows focusing on this genre) *Ocean Life TV (devoted to information and entertainment with the theme of water and life in, on and around oceans, including television series with water themes, underwater adventures and exploration, water and beach sports, and tours of ocean and oceanfront locations) *Play TV (devoted to programming featuring games, game shows and the way people play) *Real TV (entirely devoted to telling real-life stories about people. Reality-based programs ranging from high-drama stunt action to amateur home videos and programs that capture the emotions and magic of some of life's most intimate moments, will give viewers a firsthand look at the real life experiences of others) *Recovery TV (devoted to real-life stories of those who have overcome addiction, destructive behaviour, and poor lifestyle decisions. Programming will celebrate these survivors for their triumphs and provide hope for those who are in need of help) *Relationships TV (devoted to information and entertainment about intimate human relationships featuring sexuality, dating, marriage, divorce, friendships, parenting and families) *Scream TV (dedicated to the horror genre. Primarily a movie channel, Scream TV will also develop original horror series and magazines shows that explore the horror phenomenon) *Skating TV (dedicated to the sport and art of skating which will focus principally on the sport and art of amateur and professional figure skating. Programming will include live and taped skating events, skating shows and movies, features of great skaters, performances from the past, and ongoing analysis of the skating world) *The Collectors Network (devoted to thematic programming focusing exclusively on the world of collecting, collections, and auctions, and the preservation and exhibition of collections) *The World Cinema Channel (dedicated to exploring and showcasing the best of contemporary foreign films and classics. The service will also provide film criticism and commentary on international cinema and international film festivals) *Trains, Boats and Planes (dedicated to programming related to railroads and railroading; pleasure boats, shipping, cruises, cruise lines and nautical history, aircraft, flying and aviation. The service will schedule documentaries, feature films and series as well as occasional magazine-style shows focusing on this genre) *TV Guide Channel (devoted exclusively to programs that inform and entertain viewers about the world of television. Through show reviews, highlights, interviews and discussions, viewers will be able to make informed decisions about the television programs they want to watch) *U8TV (providing information and lifestyle programming and real-life drama on the Internet, based on following the lives of 8 real people living in a loft. It will provide regularly scheduled lifestyle, entertainment and real-life drama programming hosted by the lofters while at the same time, providing the television viewer with the opportunity to follow the daily lives of the lofters) *Wheels (dedicated to all aspects of cars and other wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles and trucks, including ownership, racing, repairs and culture) *Wheels Channel (dedicated to cars, their manufacture, driving and automotive history. The service will schedule documentaries, feature films and drama series as well as magazine style shows focusing on this subject) *World News TV (dedicated to news from world sources and programming providing commentary and analysis on world news. The licensee shall compile news from non-Canadian sources, from a non-Canadian perspective, and will offer some programming in languages other English, with English subtitles. Canadian programming shall consist of analysis on world news stories as they are reported by non-Canadian news organizations) *X-Treme TV (dedicated entirely to programming about world records being set and being broken and other human achievements. Programming will include lifestyle, documentary and drama programs that showcase the incredible and the bizarre and explores the human spirit) *ZTV (targeted to Generation-Y, young adults between the ages of 18 and 29. Programming shall focus on innovative technologies and new media, youth/extreme sports, sex, jobs, education, music, leisure activities and current events)

Cinemas

Alliance Atlantis owned a chain of cinemas called Alliance Cinemas. The chain owned movie theatres in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and was based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Entertainment

This division of Alliance Atlantis developed and distributed various television programmes to Canadian, American and International broadcasters. The programs ranged from series, lifestyle and documentaries. Some documentaries were produced through the AAC Fact unit.

AAC Kids

In April 2008, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment acquired the television catalogue of Alliance Atlantis. In November 2014,

(which changed its name to

WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production company, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of Children's tel ...

in 2019) acquired a majority of Echo Bridge's children's catalogue. In 2011, the German distributor m4e AG acquired the catalogue of

, AAC Kids' European distributor. In 2017, the Belgian distributor

Studio 100 Studio 100 N.V. is a Belgian children's entertainment production & distribution company that specialized in high quality kids & family entertainment content and operated their in-house animation studios such as their Australian animation compa ...

acquired a majority stake in m4e AG. * '' The Olden Days Coat'' (1981) * ''A Child's Christmas in Wales'' (1987) * '' Ramona'' (1988–1989) * ''Double Daniel'' (1989) * ''Max Glick'' (1990) * ''

The Adventures of the Black Stallion ''The Adventures of the Black Stallion'' is a drama television series that starred Mickey Rooney and Richard Ian Cox, as a trainer and a teenaged horse racer and was loosely based on '' The Black Stallion'' book series by Walter Farley. The se ...

'' (1990–1992) * '' Maniac Mansion'' (1990–1993) * ''The Cutaway'' (1991) * '' Kelly'' (1991) * ''That Scatterbrain Booky'' (1992) * '' Wild Side Show'' (1992–1993) * ''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'' (1992–1995) * '' White Fang'' (1993–1994) * '' The Mighty Jungle'' (1994) * ''

Squawk Box ''Squawk Box'' is an American business news television program that airs from 6 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Zone, Eastern time on CNBC. The program is co-hosted by Joe Kernen, Rebecca Quick, Becky Quick, and Andrew Ross Sorkin. Since debuting in 19 ...

'' (1994) * ''

ReBoot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

'' (1994–2001) * '' Mirror, Mirror'' (1995) * '' Flash Forward'' (1995–1997) * '' Straight Up'' (1996–1998) * '' Beast Wars: Transformers'' (1996–1999) * '' My Life as a Dog'' (1997) * ''Crayola Kids Adventures'' (1997) (co-production with Hallmark Studios) * '' Captain Star'' (1997–1998) * '' Mirror, Mirror II'' (1997–1998) * '' Mowgli: The New Adventures of the Jungle Book'' (1998) * ''

Legacy Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy ...

'' (1998–1999) * '' The Famous Jett Jackson'' (1998–2001) * '' Shadow Raiders'' (1998–1999) * ''Pumper Pups'' (1999) * '' I Was a Sixth Grade Alien'' (1999–2001) * '' Hoze Houndz'' (1999–2002) * '' Yvon of the Yukon'' (2000–2005) * '' In a Heartbeat'' (2000–2001) * '' A Fish Tale'' (2000) * '' Oscar Charlie'' (2001) * '' Sail Away'' (2001–2007) * '' Old Tom'' (2001–2002) * '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' (2001–2007) * ''

Ace Lightning ''Ace Lightning'' is a children's television series co-produced by the BBC and Alliance Atlantis. The series was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom, but also aired in other countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand a ...

'' (2002–2004) * '' Connie the Cow'' (2003–2007) * '' Henry's World'' (2002–2005) * ''

Mental Block This is a list of television programs currently and formerly broadcast by YTV (Canadian TV channel), YTV in Canada. Current programming Original programming Live-action series Animated series Short series Acquired from Nickelodeon (U.S.) ...

'' (2004–2006) * '' Poko'' (2003–2008) * '' Dragon Booster'' (2004–2006) * '' Instant Star'' (2004–2007) * ''

Lunar Jim ''Lunar Jim'' is a Canadian science fiction stop-motion animated television series that aired from 2 January 2006 to 19 October 2007. The show focuses on Lunar Jim, an astronaut on the Blue Moon L22. The show, produced by Halifax Film Company ...

'' (2006–2011)

Comedy and drama programs

* '' Airwaves'' (1985) * '' The Ray Bradbury Theater'' (1985–1992) * ''

Mount Royal Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from the mountain's name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentian M ...

'' (1987) * '' Bordertown'' (1989–1991) * '' E.N.G.'' (1989–1994) * '' Mom P.I.'' (1990–1991) * '' Neon Rider'' (1990–1995) * '' Counterstrike'' (1991–1993) * '' African Skies'' (1991–1994) * '' Destiny Ridge'' (1993–1994) * '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (1993–present) (Produced by Salter Street Films until 2003, now owned and produced by

) * '' Due South'' (1994–1999) * '' TekWar'' (1994–1995) * '' Mysterious Island'' (1995) * '' The Outer Limits'' (1995–2002) * '' Adventures of Sinbad'' (1996–1997) * '' Traders'' (1996–2000) * '' Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal'' (1996–2000) * '' Fast Track'' (1997–1998) * '' Night Man'' (1997–1999) * '' Earth: Final Conflict'' (1997–2002) * '' Cold Squad'' (1998–2005) * '' Welcome to Paradox'' (1998) * '' The Crow: Stairway to Heaven'' (1998–1999) (American rights owned by

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...

) * ''

Da Vinci's Inquest ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian crime drama television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven se ...

'' (1998–2005) * '' Power Play'' (1998–2000) * '' Little Men'' (1998–1999) * ''

Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy ''Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy'' is a Canadian television drama series, which aired on CBC from 1998 to 2000. The series, which is set in the 1940s, was based on the memoirs of author and rancher Richmond P. Hobson, Jr. and set on a ranch in rur ...

'' (1998–2000) * '' Total Recall 2070'' (1999) (American rights owned by

) * '' Peter Benchley's Amazon'' (1999–2000) * '' BeastMaster'' (1999–2002) * ''

Drop the Beat ''Drop the Beat'' is a Canadian television series produced by Back Alley Film Productions that aired on CBC Television in 2000 and 2001."TV show puts spotlight on hip-hop". ''Sudbury Star'', February 9, 2000. A short-run dramatic series, the show ...

'' (2000–2001) * '' Starhunter'' (2000–2004) * '' 2gether: The Series'' (2000) * '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–2015) (Now owned by

CBS Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount (Network) Television, as a re ...

) * ''

Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary television sitcom created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer park resi ...

'' (2001–present) (Distribution rights to TV and DVD, now distributed by

Lionsgate Television Lionsgate Television is the television division of the American production company Lionsgate Studios. History The company was established in July 1997 as Lions Gate Television, Inc. with the establishment of Lionsgate Films. In June 1998, it ...

worldwide) * '' Haven'' (2001) * '' The Associates'' (2001–2002) * '' CSI: Miami'' (2002–2012) (Now owned by

) * '' The Eleventh Hour'' (2002–2005) * '' CSI: NY'' (2004–2013) (Now owned by

) * '' Rent-a-Goalie'' (2006–2008)

AAC Fact

*'' Turning Points of History'' (1997–2004) * ''Gladiatrix'' (2001) * ''Daredevils'' (2001, co-production with GRB Entertainment)

Feature films

* ''

Overdrawn at the Memory Bank ''Overdrawn at the Memory Bank'' is a 1984 science fiction television film starring Raul Julia and Linda Griffiths. Based on the 1976 John Varley (author), John Varley short story of the same name from the Eight Worlds series, the film takes pl ...

'' (1984) * '' Iron Eagle II'' (1986) * '' The Wraith'' (1986) * '' The Gate'' (1987) * '' The Gate II: Trespassers'' (1990) * '' Black Robe'' (1991) * '' The Twist'' (1992) * '' I Love a Man in Uniform'' (1993) * ''

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

'' (1993) * '' Johnny Mnemonic'' (1995) * '' When Night Is Falling'' (1995) * '' National Lampoon's Senior Trip'' (1995) * '' Never Talk to Strangers'' (1995) * '' Family of Cops'' (1995) * '' Crash'' (1996) * '' The Sweet Hereafter'' (1997) * '' In the Company of Men'' (1997) * '' Last Night'' (1998) * '' Air Bud: Golden Receiver'' (1998) * '' Existenz'' (1999) * '' The Five Senses'' (1999) * '' A Room for Romeo Brass'' (1999) * '' Jesus' Son'' (1999) * '' Something More'' (1999) * '' Sunshine'' (1999) * '' Felicia's Journey'' (1999) * '' Stardom'' (2000) * '' Relative Values'' (2000) * '' The Claim'' (2000) * ''

The 51st State ''The 51st State'' (also known as ''Formula 51'') is a 2001 action comedy film directed by Ronny Yu, written by Stel Pavlou, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle, Emily Mortimer, Ricky Tomlinson, Sean Pertwee, Rhys Ifans, Step ...

'' (2001) * '' Slackers'' (2002) * '' Virginia's Run'' (2002) * '' Men with Brooms'' (2002) * '' Bowling for Columbine'' (2002) * '' Morvern Callar'' (2002) * '' Ararat'' (2002) * '' Alice's Odyssey'' (2002) * '' The Good Thief'' (2002) * ''

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

'' (2002) * '' Steal'' (2002) * ''

Owning Mahowny ''Owning Mahowny'' is a 2003 Canadian film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin and John Hurt. The film is based on the true story of Brian Molony, a Toronto bank employee who embezzled more than $10 million to feed his g ...

'' (2003) * ''

Blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

'' (2003) * '' Kart Racer'' (2003) * ''

The Barbarian Invasions ''The Barbarian Invasions'' () is a 2003 Canadian-French sex comedy-Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Stéphane Rousseau and Marie-Josée Croze. The film is a sequel to Arcand ...

'' (2003) * '' Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine'' (2003) * '' Foolproof'' (2003) * ''

My Life Without Me ''My Life Without Me'' is a 2003 Canadian drama film directed by Isabel Coixet and starring Sarah Polley, Mark Ruffalo, Scott Speedman, and Leonor Watling. Based on the 1997 short story collection ''Pretending the Bed Is a Raft'' by Nanci Kincai ...

'' (2003) * '' The Blue Butterfly'' (2004) * '' Going the Distance'' (2004) * ''

Saint Ralph ''Saint Ralph'' is a 2004 Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael McGowan. Its central character is a teenage boy who trains for the in the hope a victory will be the miracle his mother needs to awaken from a coma. The film ...

'' (2004) * '' The Rocket'' (2005) * ''

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

'' (2005) (Credit only, produced by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

and

DreamWorks Pictures DreamWorks Pictures (also known as DreamWorks SKG and commonly referred to as DreamWorks) is an American film studio and Film distribution, distribution label of Amblin Partners. It was originally founded on October 12, 1994, as a live-action a ...

) * '' Angel's Rage'' (2006) * '' Bon Cop, Bad Cop'' (2006) * '' Snow Cake'' (2006) * '' Trailer Park Boys: The Movie'' (2006) * '' It's a Boy Girl Thing'' (2006) * '' Days of Darkness'' (2007) * '' The Stone Angel'' (2007)

Short films

* '' Boys and Girls'' (1983)

Alliance Films

Alliance Films was a major motion picture distribution/production company which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Formally known as Motion Picture Distribution LP, it was re branded and relaunched in 2007 due to the break-up of its preceding company, Alliance Atlantis, which was sold off piece by piece to

, GS Capital Partners, along with several other smaller companies. Alliance Atlantis and Vivafilm home video releases were manufactured and distributed by

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment LLC (UPHE) is the home video distribution division of Universal Pictures, an American film studio owned by NBCUniversal, the entertainment unit of Comcast. UPHE is the home video distributor for all of the ...

(eOne) later acquired Alliance Films on January 9, 2013, for $225 million and merged Alliance Films and all of their subsidiaries under the latter brand.Tartaglione, Nancy
''EOne Completes Alliance Films Acquisition; Victor Loewy, Charles Layton Exit.''
''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'' (January 9, 2012) Most of the assets of eOne, as well as Alliance Films libraries was subsequently bought by

in late 2023.

Notes

References

External links

Alliance filmsAlliance Vivafilm films
(in French)
Alliance Atlantis International DistributionAlliance Atlantis CinemasFrom Mini to Major, a book about the history of the company
{{Authority control Companies based in Toronto Mass media companies disestablished in 2008 Defunct broadcasting companies of Canada Lionsgate Canada Film production companies of Canada Film distributors of Canada Defunct film and television production companies of Canada 1998 establishments in Ontario 2008 disestablishments in Ontario Former Corus Entertainment subsidiaries Former Lionsgate subsidiaries Companies formerly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq