 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | 9 Channel Nine Court,Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| Sister channels | CTV CTV 2 CTV Comedy Channel CTV Drama Channel CTV Life Channel CTV Sci-Fi Channel CTV Speed Channel CTV Wild Channel Oxygen USA Network |
| History | |
| Launched | August 15, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-08-15) |
| Former names | Discovery Civilization Channel (2001–2010) Discovery Science (2010–2025) |
| Links | |
| Website | CTV Nature |
CTV Nature Channel is a Canadiandiscretionaryspecialty channel owned by CTV Specialty Television, a joint venture betweenBell Media andESPN Inc. via license CTV Nature Canada Company.[1] It broadcasts factual and reality-style series related to science, nature, and history.
The network was originally launched on August 15, 2001 asDiscovery Civilization Channel, adigital cable spin-off fromDiscovery Channel based on the U.S. network of the same name (nowInvestigation Discovery), focusing on programming related to history and international culture. On September 27, 2010, the channel relaunched asDiscovery Science, becoming a Canadian version ofScience Channel.
On January 1, 2025, the channel relaunched as CTV Nature Channel, due to Bell losing the rights to Warner Bros. Discovery factual and lifestyle brands toRogers Sports & Media (who will primarily distribute Science Channel programming through its streaming and on-demand platforms, foregoing a new specialty channel).
CTV Nature Channel was licensed by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on December 14, 2000 as Discovery Civilization Channel Canada.[2] The application was granted to CTV Inc., and was later transferred to its subsidiary, CTV Specialty Television Inc., in which ESPN owns a 20% interest. The channel was originally described in regulatory documents as "a national English-language Category 2 specialty television service dedicated to bringing the diverse people and cultures of the world to Canadian viewers. The service will be dedicated to exploring and understanding the roots of human development and learning from other cultures and traditions."[2]
The channel was launched on August 15, 2001 as Discovery Civilization Channel, with programming devoted to human civilization and history. The channel was intended to be a Canadian version of a U.S. channel of the same name, which was later reformatted and renamed as Discovery Times, and later becameInvestigation Discovery (a brand which would later launch in Canada via a rebranding ofCourtTV Canada).
On June 4, 2010 CTVglobemedia announced that Discovery Civilization Channel would be rebranded asDiscovery Science on September 27, 2010, serving as a Canadian version of the U.S. networkScience Channel.[3]
On June 10, 2024,Rogers Sports & Media announced it had reached an agreement withWarner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for Canadian rights to its lifestyle brands beginning in January 2025, which were subsequently confirmed to include Discovery Science.[4][5] This led to a lawsuit by Bell, which claimed the move would violate previousnon-compete clauses with WBD; the matter was settled out of court in October.[6][7] Rogers announced that Science Channel content would move to its on-demand and streaming platforms includingCitytv+, rather than a new linear channel.[8]
On October 17, 2024, Bell Media announced the channel would rebrand as CTV Nature Channel on January 1, 2025. CTV Nature will take over much of Discovery's previous mandate within the Bell Media portfolio as it transitions to a general entertainment format under theUSA Network brand, repurposing certain Canadian factual series previously commissioned by Bell, as well as other content related to science, nature, and history from third-party distributors.[9]
At some point after the rebranding, WBD divested its stakes in the channel, making a sole owner.[10]
On June 17, 2011 Bell Media announced that it would launch Discovery Science HD, ahigh definition (HD) simulcast of thestandard definition feed, by the end of 2011.[11] The channel was launched on December 15, 2011 on Bell Fibe TV and on September 11, 2012 on Telus Optik TV.[12]Shaw Direct began using it on August 8, 2018.
| Executives |  | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. networks |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| International |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Ventures | |||||||||||||||||||
| Defunct ventures |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Sports broadcasting rights | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other properties |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Notable personalities | |||||||||||||||||||
| Miscellaneous | |||||||||||||||||||
Owners:Walt Disney Company (80%);Hearst Communications (20%) | |||||||||||||||||||