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W Network (often shortened to W) is a
Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...
English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
discretionary
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 targete ...
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 channel primarily broadcasts general entertainment programming oriented towards a female audience. W Network was established in 1995 as the Women's Television Network (WTN), which had a focus on women's lifestyle programming. The channel was eventually acquired by Corus in 2001 and relaunched under its current branding in 2002. As part of the relaunch, W's programming shifted to a mix of both entertainment and lifestyle programming. By 2017, W had moved its lifestyle programming to its sister networks, shifting to a general entertainment format targeting women. In 2018, the channel became part of output deals with Hallmark Media, and later
Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
's
Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
and
Sky Studios Sky Studios is a production company founded by Sky in June 2019 with assets from the now defunct Sky Vision. It develops, produces and funds original drama, comedy and documentary, and has investments in a number of production businesses in ...
in 2020 (an agreement shared with sister network Showcase). The channel is available in two time shifted feeds, East (operating from the
Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 U.S. states, states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five ...
) and West (operating from the
Pacific Time Zone The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00 ...
).


History


As Women's Television Network

In June 1994, Linda Rankin, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, (later incorporated as Lifestyle Television (1994) Limited, principally owned by Moffat Communications) was granted a television broadcasting licence by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...
(CRTC) to operate a channel called ''Lifestyle Television'', described as offering "information and entertainment programming of particular interest to women." The channel subsequently launched on January 1, 1995 as the Women's Television Network (WTN).Has WTN gone too soft? (Does anyone really mind?)
'' Herizons'' 1997-03-22
Like Moffat's other cable television operations, WTN was headquartered in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
,
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
. Linda Rankin served as the president of the network from its launch. Programming on the network was originally largely focused on lifestyle programming that many had suggested was "feminist" in nature. Such programming included female takes on traditionally male-dominated activities such as fishing and mechanics, with ''Natural Angler'' and ''Car Care'', respectively, while other programs, such as ''Go Girl!'', took a comedic approach at parodying typical female-targeted talk shows that discussed subjects such as beauty and fashion.Taddeo, Julie Anne, and Ken Dvorak. ''The Tube Has Spoken: Reality TV & History''. University Press of Kentucky. Print Other programs included films, current affairs, and occasionally athletic-themed. The channel suffered from low ratings in the start. Of the slew of new channels launched on January 1, 1995, WTN was initially the lowest-rated channel on average. Linda Rankin later resigned in August 1995 citing "differences in management philosophy".


As W Network

In December 2000,
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 ...
announced it intended to purchase Moffat. The deal was later closed in early 2001. Shaw announced in March 2001 that it would sell WTN to
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 ...
, a company that it spun off in 1999, for (Shaw had primarily acquired Moffat for its cable television systems). Once Corus took ownership of the channel, it moved operations from Winnipeg to Toronto in mid-January 2002, laying off 50 employees in the process. Corus subsequently relaunched the network as W on April 15, 2002, with a more entertainment-oriented mix of recent dramas and movies. On the same date, Corus launched the west coast feed. In 2009, Corus Entertainment acquired SexTV: The Channel from CTVglobemedia, and relaunched the channel as W Movies — a spin-off of W Network focusing on films aimed towards women, on March 1, 2010. On December 12, 2016, W Movies was closed and replaced by a relaunched, Canadian version of the
Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by and spin-off of Food Network. Both are owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media ...
. On August 2, 2011, the channel launched its HD feed, a simulcast of W Network's
standard-definition Standard-definition television (SDTV; also standard definition or SD) is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high-definition television, high or enhanced definition. ''Standard'' refers to offering a ...
Eastern-time feed. The HD feed was added to
Bell Satellite TV Bell Satellite TV (; formerly known as Bell ExpressVu, Dish Network Canada and ExpressVu Dish Network and not to be confused with Bell's IPTV Bell Fibe TV, Fibe TV service) is the division of BCE Inc. that provides satellite television service a ...
satellite and Bell Fibe TV channel lineups on March 23, 2012. It was also available on Eastlink, Optik TV,
Shaw Direct Shaw Direct G.P. is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada and a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Rogers Communications. As of 2010, Shaw Direct had over 900,000 subscribers. It broadcasts on Ku band from two ...
,
SaskTel Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation, operating as SaskTel, is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian Crown corporations of Canada, crown-owned telecommunications firm based in the province of Saskatchewan. Owned by the provinci ...
, Rogers Cable, Cogeco, and
Access Communications Access Communications Co-operative Limited is a Canadian telecom cooperative based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The cooperative provides internet, cable television, telephone, smart home and security services to residential and business customers ...
. On October 1, 2013, an HD feed for the Western-timed channel was launched on
Shaw Cable 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 ...
, then on
Shaw Direct Shaw Direct G.P. is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada and a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Rogers Communications. As of 2010, Shaw Direct had over 900,000 subscribers. It broadcasts on Ku band from two ...
on September 18, 2019.


2017–present

Since the 2017–18 season, W Network has re-oriented its programming towards scripted television series and films. The majority of its lifestyle programming, including the ''
Property Brothers ''Property Brothers'' is a Canadian reality television series now produced by Scott Brothers Entertainment, and is the original show in the Property Brothers (franchise), ''Property Brothers'' franchise. The series features twin brothers Drew S ...
'' franchise, was moved to HGTV (now
Home Network Home Network is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary cable television, cable and satellite television, satellite specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. Home Network broadcasts programs r ...
), as well as Corus' other women and lifestyle networks.


Programming

W Network primarily broadcasts a mix of television dramas and films. On October 25, 2018, Corus announced an output deal with Crown Media Holdings, giving W Network exclusive Canadian rights to original movies and series produced for
Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...
and
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Hallmark Mystery (formerly known as Hallmark Movie Channel (HMC) and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (HMM)) is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel was spun ...
. W Network carries branded blocks of Hallmark Channel content, including seasonal programming events such as Countdown to Christmas; many of Hallmark's productions are filmed in Canada. In June 2020, Corus reached output agreements with NBCUniversal Global Distribution for Canadian rights to
Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
original series, shared primarily between W and sister network Showcase. The following month, Corus also reached an agreement with sister company
Sky Studios Sky Studios is a production company founded by Sky in June 2019 with assets from the now defunct Sky Vision. It develops, produces and funds original drama, comedy and documentary, and has investments in a number of production businesses in ...
. ''Devils'' served as one of the first to air on W as part of the Sky agreement. As part of the Peacock agreement, the long-running soap opera ''
Days of our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...
'' (which had long-been carried by sister broadcast network
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 ...
in simulcast with NBC) moved to W Network in September 2022. W previously produced and aired unscripted reality shows and lifestyle programming; it was well known for originating the '' Love It or List It'' and ''
Property Brothers ''Property Brothers'' is a Canadian reality television series now produced by Scott Brothers Entertainment, and is the original show in the Property Brothers (franchise), ''Property Brothers'' franchise. The series features twin brothers Drew S ...
'' franchises seen on
HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. HGTV Dream Home is an ...
in the U.S. These programs moved to Corus' other lifestyle networks (particularly HGTV Canada and Slice) following W's shift to scripted programming.


List of programming


Original series


Acquired programming

* '' Based on a True Story'' * '' The Best Man: The Final Chapters'' * '' Chesapeake Shores'' * ''
Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...
'' * '' Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem'' * '' Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas'' * '' Dreamland'' * '' The Equalizer'' * '' Five Bedrooms'' * ''
Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'' * ''
Ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
'' * '' The Girl from Plainville'' * '' Girls5eva'' * '' The Good Doctor'' * '' The Good Fight'' * '' Good Witch'' * '' I Am...'' * '' Katy Keene'' * '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' * '' A Million Little Things'' * '' Mom'' * '' Mystery 101'' * '' Nancy Drew'' * '' NCIS: Los Angeles'' * '' The Neighborhood'' * '' One of Us Is Lying'' * '' Outlander'' * '' Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin'' * '' Sex with Sue'' * ''
So Help Me Todd ''So Help Me Todd'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series, created by Scott Prendergast, that premiered on September 29, 2022, on CBS. The series follows a talented but directionless private investigator, who begrudgingly agrees ...
'' * '' Superstore'' * '' This Way Up'' * '' Vampire Academy'' * '' Walker: Independence'' * '' The Way Home'' * '' We Are Lady Parts'' * ''
When Calls the Heart ''When Calls the Heart'' is a Western drama television series inspired by Janette Oke's book of the same name from her ''Canadian West'' series and created by Michael Landon Jr. and Brian Bird. The series began airing on the Hallmark Channel ...
'' * '' Why Women Kill'' * '' Will & Grace''


References

*


External links

*
W Network media
{{Authority control Specialty television channels in Canada Corus Entertainment networks 1995 establishments in Canada Television channels and stations established in 1995 Women's interest channels English-language television stations in Canada