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| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | 299 Queen Street West,Toronto,Ontario, Canada |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CHUM Limited (1997–2007) CTVglobemedia(CTV Limited) (2007–2011) BCE Inc. (2011–present) |
| Parent | Bell Media |
| Sister channels | CTV CTV Drama Channel CTV Comedy Channel CTV Life Channel CTV Nature Channel CTV News Channel CTV Speed Channel CTV Wild Channel Oxygen USA Network CTV 2 Z |
| History | |
| Launched | October 17, 1997; 28 years ago (1997-10-17) |
| Former names | Space (1997–2019) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
CTV Sci-Fi Channel is a Canadian English-languagediscretionaryspecialty channel owned byBell Media subsidairy ofBCE Inc. The channel primarily broadcastsspeculative fiction and related programming.
The network was launched on October 17, 1997 asSpace under its original parent companyCHUM Limited. Its slogan,The Imagination Station, continued to be used informally by its fans for many years after its retirement. In 2007, Space was acquired by CTVglobemedia, after acquiring CHUM Limited, while theCitytv stations were sold toRogers Media. The channel adopted its current name in 2019.
The channel was licensed by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1996.[1] It launched on October 17, 1997 at 6:00 p.m.ET (3:00 p.m.PT), asSpace: The Imagination Station, launching under the ownership ofCHUM Limited, airing the filmForbidden Planet, followed by a commentary on that film by authorRobert J. Sawyer, followed by the filmMars Attacks!. The Sawyer commentary was the first example of the interstitial materials — mostly produced byMark Askwith — that became SPACE's signature: short, snappy, mini-documentaries on science fiction and science topics shown between programs, collectively known as "SPACE Flow". Daily installments includeSpace News (formerlySPIN, for "Space Information and News").[2]
CTVglobemedia took over Space on June 22, 2007, as a result of a takeover ofCHUM Limited.[citation needed] At the same time, theCitytv stations were sold toRogers later that year. Ownership changed hands once again when on April 1, 2011,BCE Inc. gained 100% control of CTVglobemedia's non-publishing assets that it did not already own, placing Space under the ownership ofBell Media.[citation needed]
On February 8, 2011, theReeves-Stevenses submitted a letter to theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in support of an application by CTVglobemedia to renew the broadcasting license of Space.[3]
On July 6, 2011, ahigh definition simulcast of Space was launched.[4] It is available through all major television providers in Canada.
On March 4, 2013, Space introduced a new logo to coincide with the premiere of the channel's new original co-productionOrphan Black. A Bell Media executive explained that the branding was designed to reflect upon the broadening of the sci-fi genre beyondouter space and "people in polyester onesies running around with taser guns", by portraying the new logo in the form of real-life objects with a "phenomenal twist" to symbolize the "space around you".[5] Through Bell Media's acquisition ofAstral Media, Space is now co-owned with the French-language, sci-fi channel, Ztélé (since renamedZ).
On June 7, 2018, it was announced that Space would be rebranded as "CTV Sci-Fi", as part of a re-alignment of several Bell Media specialty channels under theCTV brand.[6] The following year, it was revealed the channel would instead rebrand as CTV Sci-Fi Channel on September 12, 2019.[7]
CTV Sci-Fi Channel's programming includes scripted television series and films primarily focused on thescience fiction,fantasy,superhero fiction,horror, andparanormal genres, often in amarathon format outside of prime time. The channel's original programming has included in-studio shows (including the daily newsmagazineInnerspace), scripted dramas, as well as shows co-produced with the American channelSyfy, from which the channel also acquires the bulk of its programming.
The channel holds the linear television rights to theStar Trek television franchise in Canada, holding library rights to pastStar Trek television seasons and movies, and having acquired the rights to the newerStar Trek era, beginning withStar Trek: Discovery, that are produced for theParamount+ streaming service.[8][9][10][11]
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