Cooking Channel is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to t ...

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 target ...

and a localized version of the U.S. channel of the same name owned by

Corus Entertainment Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. Formed in 1999 as a spin-off from Shaw Communications, it has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. It is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Onta ...

and

Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at 230 Park Avenue South in New York City. It was formed after the spin-off of WarnerMedia by AT&T, and its merger with Di ...

. Dedicated to programming related to food and cooking, its branding is licensed from

Discovery Inc. Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1985, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Channe ...

(formerly

Scripps Networks Interactive Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) was an American mass media company, which was formed on July 1, 2008, and acquired by and merged into Discovery Communications on March 6, 2018. It was formed in 2008, through the spin-off of the E. W. ...

), which holds a minority ownership, and is also a partner on sister channel

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...

. The channel was launched in 2001 as

SexTV ''SexTV'' is a Canadian documentary television series which explores many issues about human sexuality. The show premiered in 1998 which aired on Citytv and channels owned by CHUM Limited, and spun off a television channel called '' SexTV: The Cha ...

: The Channel under the ownership of

CHUM Limited CHUM Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CH ...

named after the program of the same name aired on

Citytv Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television A ...

. The channel was acquired in 2006 when

Bell Globemedia 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 ...

acquired the assets of CHUM which was completed in 2007 while the Citytv stations were sold to

Rogers 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, Sportsne ...

. Corus acquired the channel in 2010 and relaunched the channel as W Movies (a spin-off of

W Network W Network (often shortened to W) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts general entertainment programming oriented towards a female audience. W Network was established in ...

), which focuses on female-centric movies before rebranding to its current name on December 12, 2016.

History

As SexTV: The Channel

In June 2001,

received approval by 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 broadcasti ...

(CRTC) to launch a national Category 2 specialty channel known as Relationship Television, a channel described as being "devoted exclusively to programming related to love, romance, marriage, relationship-themed game shows, sexuality and gender issues, family planning, relationship breakdown and magazine style programming featuring romantic vacation resorts." SexTV

The channel was launched three months later on September 7, 2001 as SexTV: The Channel, a channel modeled after and its name derived from ''

'', a now-former program on

(which was a CHUM-owned property at the time). SexTV aired programming on

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...

and

human sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied w ...

, including issues on love, dating, romance and related subjects. In July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later

CTVglobemedia 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 ...

) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated

CAD Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

$1.7 billion. Due to CTV planning to retain the

network, SexTV: The Channel was among the channels along with

A-Channel A-Channel (proposed as The Alberta Channel) was a Canadian television system initially owned by Craig Media from September 1997 to 2004, then by CHUM Limited from 2004 to 2005 through A-Channel, Inc. It consisted of Craig's television stations in ...

Access Access may refer to: Companies and organizations * ACCESS (Australia), an Australian youth network * Access (credit card), a former credit card in the United Kingdom * Access Co., a Japanese software company * Access Healthcare, an Indian BPO ...

CKX-TV CKX-TV, VHF analogue channel 5, was a television station licensed to Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, which served as a private affiliate of CBC Television. Owned by CTVglobemedia, it was the first privately owned television station in Manitoba. It s ...

Brandon and CLT to be sold to

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of mobile phone operator, wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet access, Intern ...

on April 9, 2007, awaiting the final approval. The sale was approved by the CRTC on June 8, 2007, on the condition that CTV must divest the Citytv stations, effectively cancelling the sale of SexTV: The Channel to Rogers and the transaction was completed on June 22, 2007 while the Citytv stations were sold to Rogers later that year.

As W Movies

On July 14, 2009, CTVglobemedia announced that it would sell Sex TV, along with Drive-In Classics (then

Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States). * Sundance Channel (Canada) * Sundance Channel (Netherlands) * Sundance Channel (Europe) * Sundance Channel (Iberia) * Sundance Channel (Asia) * Sunda ...

, now defunct), to

for a combined

$40 million. In late September, Corus announced that the channel would be rebranded as W Movies, a spin-off of

with a focus on films targeting women. The sale was approved by the CRTC on November 19, with the transaction being completed by December. The on-air relaunch as W Movies took place on March 1, 2010. On December 2, 2011, W Movies launched a

high definition High definition or HD may refer to: Visual technologies *HD DVD, discontinued optical disc format *HD Photo, former name for the JPEG XR image file format *HDV, format for recording high-definition video onto magnetic tape * HiDef, 24 frames-pe ...

feed. It is currently available through all major television providers in the country.

As Cooking Channel

On October 19, 2016, Corus announced that a Canadian version of

Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by Food Network, a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media Group (31%). The channel is a spin-off of Food Network, broadcas ...

—a spin-off of its Canadian version of Food Network, would be the rebranding of W Movies on December 12, 2016. Its launch came several months after

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 ...

's re-launch of Gusto, which competes directly against Food Network.

subsequently acquired a 19.8% interest in the channel. Some providers also had to move the channel to a different number. The HD feed was also rebranded to match, and was launched in 2017 on

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 communic ...

Programming

The Cooking Channel airs programming identical to its U.S. counterpart such as '' A Cook's Tour'', ''

Ace of Cakes ''Ace of Cakes'' is an American reality television show that aired on the Food Network. The show focused on the daily operations of Duff Goldman's custom cake shop, Charm City Cakes, in Baltimore, Maryland; including small-business ownership, wo ...

'', ''

Bill's Food Bill's is a British restaurant and bar chain, founded by Bill Collison in 2001 when he opened a small greengrocery in Lewes, East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel ...

'', ''

Bitchin' Kitchen ''Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen'' is a Canadian cooking show, cooking food reality television, television series that began airing simultaneously on Food Network (Canada), Food Network Canada in Canada and Cooking Channel in the United States on Ap ...

'', ''

Caribbean Food Made Easy The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

'', ''

Chuck's Day Off Chuck's Day Off is a cooking show starring restaurateur and chef Chuck Hughes. It was spun off with ''Chuck's Week Off'' in which Hughes spent his vacation in Mexico helping out people in the food industry and or trying out the different region ...

'', '' Chinese Food Made Easy'', ''

Cupcake Wars ''Cupcake Wars'' is an American reality competition series that premiered on December 27, 2009, on cable television network Food Network. The show, which is based on creating unique and professional-style cupcakes, was hosted by Justin Willman a ...

'', ''

Drink Up "Drink Up" is a song recorded by American rock music, rock band Train (band), Train. It was released on May 12, 2017, as the second single from their tenth studio album ''A Girl, a Bottle, a Boat''. Music video An official music video to accompan ...

'', ''

Easy Chinese San Francisco by Ching He Huang Easy Chinese:San Francisco is a Cooking Channel show hosted by Ching He Huang Ching-He Huang (; (born 8 April 1978), often known in English-language merely as Ching, is a Taiwanese-born food writer and TV chef. She has appeared in a varie ...

'', ''

Everyday Exotic ''Everyday Exotic'' is a Canadian instructional cooking series starring Roger Mooking. It was produced by Magee TV in association with Food Network Canada. Overview Mooking, a third generation restaurateur, takes ingredients that are used in e ...

'', ''

Everyday Italian ''Everyday Italian'' is a Food Network show hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. In the show, De Laurentiis focuses for her viewers on traditional Italian cuisine with an American flair. Popularity The show is recorded (shot at 24 frames for a cinemat ...

'' with

Giada De Laurentiis Giada Pamela De Laurentiis (; born August 22, 1970) is an Italian-American chef, writer, and television personality. She was the host of Food Network's '' Giada at Home''. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's ...

, ''

FoodCrafters ''FoodCrafters'' is a food travel show on the Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by Food Network, a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media G ...

'', ''

Food Jammers ''Food Jammers'' is a cooking show featuring Micah Donovan, Chris Martin, and Nobu Adilman; three backyard mechanics who make homebrew cooking equipment using junkyard parts, found objects, and locally sourced ingredients. Cooking is essentially ...

'', ''

French Food at Home French Food at Home is a James Beard Foundation Award-winning cooking show presented by Laura Calder. It is filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia and airs on Food Network Canada, the Asian Food Channel, and the Cooking Channel. French Food at Home i ...

'', ''

Good Eats ''Good Eats'' is an American television cooking show, created and hosted by Alton Brown, which aired in North America on Food Network and later Cooking Channel. Likened to television science educators Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, Brown explores the ...

'', '' Indian Food Made Easy'', ''

Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle bu ...

'' (original Japanese version), ''

Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, whi ...

'', ''

MasterChef Canada ''MasterChef Canada'' is a Canadian competitive cooking reality show, part of the '' MasterChef'' franchise, open to amateur home cooks. It premiered on CTV on January 20, 2014, and has aired its seventh season. The show stars three judges: Clau ...

'', '' Spice Goddess'', ''

Two Fat Ladies ''Two Fat Ladies'' was a British cooking programme starring Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright. It originally ran for four series and twenty-four episodes, from 9 October 1996 to 28 September 1999, being produced by Optomen Televis ...

'', and ''Tyler's Ultimate'', in addition to various past programs hosted by

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, ...

and

Nigella Lawson Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. She attended Godolphin and Latymer School, London. After graduating from the University of Oxford, where she was a member of Lady Margaret Hall, Lawson st ...

. Other original programs featured include ''

Dinner at Tiffani's ''Dinner at Tiffani's'' is an American food-based television series on the Cooking Channel that premiered on February 25, 2015. The show follows host Tiffani Thiessen preparing dinner with a different group of celebrity friends each episode. ...

'' hosted by

Tiffani Thiessen Tiffani Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974) is an American actress who starred as Kelly Kapowski on NBC's ''Saved by the Bell'' (1989–1993), as Valerie Malone on Fox's ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1994–98), and as Lori on Netflix's '' Ale ...

, ''

Man Fire Food ''Man Fire Food'' is an American food travelogue television series that airs on Cooking Channel. It is presented by chef Roger Mooking; and the series features Mooking traveling to different cities and learning unique methods of barbecuing ...

'' hosted by

Roger Mooking Roger Mooking is a Trinidadian-Canadian chef, musician, and television host. Mooking is the host of the television series '' Man Fire Food'' (2012 to present). He is also the host and co-creator of ''Everyday Exotic''. Both programs aired on the ...

, '' Food: Fact or Fiction?'' hosted by Michael McKean, ''Tia Mowry at Home'' hosted by

Tia Mowry Tia Mowry is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring role as Tia Landry in the sitcom '' Sister, Sister'' (1994–1999), opposite her twin sister Tamera Mowry. The sisters then starred together in the Disney Channel O ...

, '' Cheap Eats'' hosted by Ali Khan, ''

Carnival Eats ''Carnival Eats'' is a Television in Canada, Canadian television series about various eating establishments at carnivals in Canada and the United States. The series features host Noah Cappe as he travels to the many carnivals, state fairs and fe ...

'' hosted by

Noah Cappe Noah Cappe (born December 27, 1977) is a Canadian actor and television host best known for his work on '' Good Witch'', '' Carnival Eats'' and '' The Bachelorette Canada''. Career Cappe's most notable acting role is that of Derek Sanders, a r ...

, ''Rev Run's Sunday Suppers'' hosted by

Rev Run Joseph Ward Simmons (born November 14, 1964), better known by the stage name Run, Rev. Run or DJ Run, is an American rapper, producer, DJ and television personality. Simmons is one of the founding members of the influential hip hop group Ru ...

, ''

Unique Eats ''Unique Eats'' is a TV series on Cooking Channel about various restaurants across the United States and their signature dishes. The show features talking head interviews with various chefs and food critics who give their judgement about the foo ...

'',

Unique Sweets ''Unique Sweets'' is an American television series on Cooking Channel about various eating establishments across the United States and their signature or most popular desserts. The series features interviews with guest pastry chefs and food criti ...

'', and ''

Donut Showdown ''Donut Showdown'' is an American food-based television series on the Cooking Channel that premiered on July 3, 2013. The show was originally hosted by Danny Boome and is currently hosted by Daryn Jones. The series is produced by Architect Film ...

''. As SexTV: The Channel, the network aired programming devoted to human sexuality including issues on love, dating, romance and related subjects. Past programs on the network include ''Sex Wars: Gender in the Age of Representation'', ''Beyond Carnival: Sex in Brazil'', and ''Sexploration''.

References

External links

* {{Discovery Communications English-language television stations in Canada Corus Entertainment networks Digital cable television networks in Canada Television channels and stations established in 2001 2001 establishments in Canada