 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Toronto,Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment (90%, managing partner) Paramount Networks Americas (10%) |
| Sister channels | W Network Showcase |
| History | |
| Launched | January 1, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-01-01) |
| Closed | December 31, 2025; 38 days' time (2025-12-31)[citation needed] |
| Former names | New Country Network (1995–1996) Country Music Television (1996–2006) |
| Links | |
| Website | cmt |
CMT is aCanadianEnglish languagediscretionaryspecialty channel owned as ajoint venture betweenCorus Entertainment (which owns a controlling 90% interest) andParamount Networks Americas (which owns the remaining 10%), owners of the flagshipCMT channel in the United States.
This channel was originally established on January 1, 1995 as theNew Country Network under the joint ownership ofShaw Communications, who acquiredMaclean-Hunter's stake in 1994, andRawlco Communications. Later, NCN was relaunched on September 14, 1996 as CMT withCBS Cable acquiring the stake. Prior to its Canadian launch, the American version of CMT was available in Canada from 1984.
As with its U.S. counterpart, CMT previously devoted a large amount of its programming tocountry music, with such programming as music videos and concert specials. Over time, the channel shifted its focus towards family-oriented general entertainment such assitcoms, to the point where music programming was eventually axed in August 2017.
It is the only Paramount Skydance-branded channel that is owned by Corus followingNickelodeon's shutdown in Canada on September 1, 2025.
Prior to the launch of CMT Canada, the U.S.-based country television network,Country Music Television, had been available in Canada since 1984, one year after the channel's launch in the United States.[1]
In June 1994, theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licensed a series of new Canadian specialty television channels; among the ones whose licence was granted wasThe Country Network, whose programming provisions required it to primarily feature countrymusic videos (a minimum of 90%). The licence was granted to a partnership betweenMaclean-Hunter (which owned 60% majority control) andRawlco Communications (which owned the remaining 40%).[2]
At the time, the CRTC had a policy that if a Canadian specialty service was licensed and that service's format was competitive with a foreign service's format that was licensed to operate in Canada, the foreign service could be dropped from the list of channels eligible for cable carriage in Canada.[2] Due to Country Music Television's competitive format, the CRTC terminated CMT's eligibility rights in Canada as a foreign service on June 6, 1994.[3] Television distributors such as cable and satellite television operators could continue distributing Country Music Television until The Country Network began operations.[2]
In March 1994, one year before the channel's launch, Maclean-Hunter had been purchased byRogers Communications.[4]
On January 1, 1995, the channel launched asNew Country Network (NCN). On that date, Canadian pay television service providers were not allowed to offer Country Music Television.[5] In retaliation for being barred from Canada, the U.S. service launched a complaint under theNorth American Free Trade Agreement and ceased carriage of videos by Canadian artists without major U.S. record deals.[6]
After months of negotiations, the matter was settled when it was announced thatCBS Cable, then owners of CMT, would purchase a minority stake in the service. NCN was relaunched as CMT on September 14, 1996.[7][6] The majority interest was acquired byShaw Communications at the same time; it was later included in the spinoff of the broadcasting assets then owned by Shaw asCorus Entertainment in 1999. The controversy also resulted in an effective change to CRTC policy – if a foreign channel is already available in Canada and a new Canadian equivalent is subsequently licensed, cable providers are no longer required to drop the foreign service.
In 2016, as part of the removal of the genre protection rules, CMT was migrated to the CRTC's new standard conditions of license for discretionary services; these changes removed the requirement for CMT to air any music programming at all. Corus stated in its description of service for CMT that it would be devoted tocomedy and reality programming, films, and "one of a kind music programming". Despite the changes, Corus must still invest at least 11% of CMT's annual gross revenue to fund the production of Canadian music videos, but they no longer necessarily have to be for country music videos.[8]
These programming changes took effect on August 28, 2017, when CMT dropped all country music video programming from its schedule. The change in programming was widely criticized by stakeholders in Canada's country music industry, due to the loss of what had been a major promotional platform for Canadian performers; Corus stated that it would still promote Canadian country music through its other platforms (including its country musicradio stations and someGlobal programming).[9][10]
Canada wouldn't have another country music-related TV channel until rival broadcasterStingray Group launchedStingray Country in 2019.[11][12]
As of August 2025[update], CMT's programming consists primarily of acquired sitcoms (with the exception ofDue South), some of which are reruns of Canadian-produced series to fulfillCanadian content obligations. It no longer originates any original programming of its own, nor does it air any original programming emanating from the American CMT channel such as theCMT Music Awards (which remains available to most Canadian cable subscribers throughCBS affiliates).
When CMT was launched as New Country Network on January 1, 1995, the CRTC required that 90% of the station's programming consist of music videos.[13] The CRTC dropped that requirement to 70% on February 28, 2001, and reduced it even further to 50% on February 28, 2006.[14][15] With the retirement of genre protection rules in 2016, CMT was no longer required to air music videos, leading to the channel dropping music programming altogether the following year in favor of comedy programming—drawn primarily from off-network reruns ofsitcoms.
Under its country music format, CMT previously produced its own original Canadian programming, such asKaraoke Star Jr.,Tori & Dean: Cabin Fever, andThe Wilkinsons, with much of the channel's country music-related programming hosted byPaul McGuire.