 Final logo used from 2012 to 2025 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment (2001–2025) Alliance Atlantis (2001–2008) Canwest (2008–2010) Shaw Media (2010–2013) |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | September 7, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-09-07) (as Scream) March 26, 2012; 13 years ago (2012-03-26) (as ABC Spark) |
| Closed | September 1, 2025; 2 months ago (2025-09-01) |
| Replaced by | Slice andW Network (programming) |
| Former names | Scream (2001–2009) Dusk (2009–2012) |
| Links | |
| Website | ABC Spark (archived July 2025) |
ABC Spark was a Canadian English-languagediscretionaryspecialty channel owned byCorus Entertainment. The channel launched on September 7, 2001, asScream (stylized asSCREAM), under the ownership of Corus Entertainment andAlliance Atlantis as aCategory 2 service. During its early years, Scream broadcasthorror, thriller, and suspense films along with some television series. After the acquisition of Alliance Atlantis byCanwest andGoldman Sachs, the channel was relaunched asDusk in 2009, with a pivot from horror to paranormal- and suspense-themed programming to appeal to a wider audience. During its time as Dusk, it aired programming consisting offilms,television dramas, andreality TV, and documentary-style television series from thethriller, suspense andsupernatural genres.
Two years after Canwest was sold toShaw Media, a sister company of Corus, the channel was relaunched on March 26, 2012 as ABC Spark which used the ABC branding and various programs were licensed from theABC Family Worldwide subsidiary ofWalt Disney Television, a subsidiary ofThe Walt Disney Company.[1][2][3] This channel was based on the U.S. subscription channelFreeform (previously known as ABC Family) and primarily consisted of programming aimed at teenagers, young adults, andpreteens, as well as some sitcoms.
Amid the finanical problems at Corus, the channel ceased operations on September 1, 2025.
In November 2000, Corus, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, was approved by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a television channel calledHorrorVision, which would be devoted primarily to thehorror andthriller genres.[4]
The channel was launched asScream on September 7, 2001, as a joint venture between Corus Entertainment andAlliance Atlantis. Programming on Scream focused primarily onhorror, thriller, suspense films and television series.
On January 18, 2008,[5] a joint venture betweenCanwest andGoldman Sachs Capital Partners known as CW Media,[6] acquired 49% of Scream through its purchase of Alliance Atlantis' broadcasting assets, which were placed in atrust in August 2007.[7]
On September 9, 2009, Scream was re-launched asDusk, shifting away from horror and "gore" to focus more broadly on paranormal and suspense-driven programming (such asSupernatural and mainstream film premieres such asAlong Came a Spider), to appeal to a broader viewer demographic such as women.[8]
On October 27, 2010, ownership changed once again asShaw Communications gained a 49% stake in Scream as a result of its acquisition of Canwest and Goldman Sachs' interest in CW Media.[9][10]
The last program aired on Dusk was the 1990 filmGhost, which was aired in a 24-hour marathon on March 22. As after the movie was finished, the network was relaunched as ABC Spark at 6:00 am ET on March 23.
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.[11] 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.[12] The channel's broadcast licence, tentatively known then asHarmony, was approved by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in February 2012.[13]
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.[14] The channel was owned by Corus (51%) andShaw Media (49%) at launch on March 26.[15] At the same time, on February 10, 2012, Dusk revealed through an announcement via itsTwitter andFacebook accounts, that it would be ceasing operations on March 23, 2012.[16][17] A statement later announced on the channel's website stated the channel was being shuttered for strategic reasons to concentrate on "areas of expertise."[18] Corus later indicated more specifically, through CRTC filings, that Dusk was rebranded to ABC Spark, such thatShaw Cable andShaw Direct could carry the latter while complying with the CRTC's "3:1 ratio" policy (which limits the proportion of speciality channels carried from companies affiliated with a particular service provider).[19]
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.[20][21] 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.[22] The sale of the portion of ABC Spark closed in April 2013.[3]
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.[23][24]
In October 2015, ABC Family announced plans to change its name to "Freeform" in January 2016.[25] 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.[26]
On July 10, 2025, Corus announced that they would close ABC Spark alongside a selection of children's channels (Nickelodeon,Disney XD,Disney Jr. andLa Chaîne Disney) at midnight on September 1.[27] Despite the closure, Corus confirmed that it would continue to air Nickelodeon and Disney content on its other channels.
ABC Spark carried most of the original programs produced for Freeform in the U.S. (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists premieres onW Network),[28] 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.
In its early years, Dusk was Canada's first horror television channel dedicated to the thriller, suspense and horror genres and was one of the most-watched new speciality channels. After its rebranding to ABC Spark, another attempt to launch a horror-based channel took place five years later when Sylvain Gagné, owner of IO Média inc., launchedFrissons TV in September 2017 with its English counterpart,Terror TV to be launched.