 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment (branding licensed fromDisney General Entertainment Content) |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | March 26, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-03-26) |
| Replaced | Dusk |
| Links | |
| Website | ABC Spark |
ABC Spark is a Canadian English-languagediscretionaryspecialty channel owned byCorus Entertainment. The channel was launched on March 26, 2012, replacing the declining channelDusk.[1][2]
ABC Spark is based on the U.S. subscription channelFreeform (previously known as ABC Family) and primarily consists of programming aimed at teenagers, young adults, andpreteens, as well as some sitcoms. The channel's ABC branding and various programs are licensed from theABC Family Worldwide subsidiary ofWalt Disney Television, a subsidiary ofThe Walt Disney Company.[3]
The announcement of the formation of ABC Spark occurred on October 26, 2011, as part of a program licensing agreement between Corus Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company.[4] The network was branded as ABC Spark to avoid any confusion withAstral'sFamily Channel, which then held the rights to programming from ABC's sister network,Disney Channel.[5] The channel's broadcast licence, tentatively known then asHarmony, was approved by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in February 2012.[6]
Selected ABC Family programs that were set to air on ABC Spark began airing in preview blocks in advance of the network's launch on January 26, 2012 through sister channelsYTV,W Network, andCMT.[7] The channel was owned by Corus (51%) andShaw Media (49%) at launch on March 26.[8]
Shortly after the channel's launch, the CRTC published notice of a pending application to transfer the ABC Spark licence to thenumbered company which previously owned Dusk, which is 51% owned by Corus and 49% owned byShaw Media.[9][10] However, on March 4, 2013, Corus Entertainment announced that it would acquire Shaw Media's 49% ownership interest in ABC Spark, in a larger transaction that would see Corus also acquire Shaw's 50% interest inHistoria andSériesPlus, while Corus would sell their 22.58% stake inFood Network. In total, Shaw would receive net proceeds of approximately$95 million in cash.[11] The sale of the portion of ABC Spark closed in April 2013.[2]
In April 2015, Corus Entertainment announced that it would expand its relationship with Disney, and Corus acquired the rights to Disney Channel's programming and related brands, which resulted in the launch of aCanadian version of Disney Channel, and re-launched versions ofDisney Junior andDisney XD afterDHX Media decided against renewing their agreement to broadcast the programs in Disney's programming catalogue.[12][13]
In October 2015, ABC Family announced plans to change its name to "Freeform" in January 2016.[14] ABC Spark did not adopt the Freeform name, but it did adopt the on-air imaging used by the U.S. network.
By the end of October 2015, ABC Spark had its first original series entitledCheer Squad, a docu-reality series which first premiered on July 5, 2016.[15]
ABC Spark carries most of the original programs produced for Freeform in the U.S. (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists premieres onW Network),[16] including its own versions of the31 Nights of Halloween and25 Days of Christmas events, which broadcast special programming during the lead-up to their respective holidays. The channel's daily programming mainly consists of acquired sitcoms and dramas, as well as syndicated programs from other Corus-owned channels.