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 Sundance Channel logo | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Toronto,Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (2013–2018) 480i (SDTV) (2001–2018) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CHUM Limited (2001–2006) CTVglobemedia (2006–2010) Corus Entertainment (2010–2018) (branding licensed fromAMC Networks from 2010 to 2018) |
| Sister channels | MovieTime IFC Showcase Action DejaView CMT ABC Spark W Network CosmoTV BBC Canada |
| History | |
| Launched | September 7, 2001 (2001-09-07) |
| Closed | March 1, 2018 (2018-03-01) (16 years, 5 months and 22 days) |
| Former names | Drive-In Classics (2001–2010) |
Sundance Channel was aCanadianEnglish languageCategory Bspecialty channel owned byCorus Entertainment that aired various films.
The channel was founded in 2001 asDrive-In Classics byCHUM Limited, the owner ofCitytv, that aired Drive-In B films and other programming related to it. Drive-In Classics was acquired byCTVglobemedia in 2007 and was resold toCorus Entertainment in 2009.
In March 2010, Drive-In Classics became Sundance Channel which aired programming focused on independent films, documentaries, music series, dramas and more. The channel closed its doors on March 27, 2018.
In June 2001,CHUM Limited was given approval from theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a national category 2 specialty channel known as "The Drive-In Channel", with programming described as being centred on "Drive-In B movies and series, as well as occasional magazine-style shows focusing on the genre".[1]
The channel was launched only three months later, on September 7, 2001 at 9:00 p.m.EST under the name "Drive-In Classics",[2] which focused on showing primarily films from theB movie genre, focusing on films popular at thedrive-in theatres in the 1950s to 1970s, and a number of television series includingThe Hilarious House of Frightenstein andXena: Warrior Princess.
Programming on Drive-In Classics were organized into themes including: Martial Arts Mondays - fight-themed movies, Western Wednesdays - Western movies, Steamy Windshields (Fridays) - teenage-themed movies, Horror Marathon (Saturdays) - horror films and Salem's Lot, various films picked by hostRob Salem, which was ended on August 30, 2009.
In July 2006,Bell Globemedia announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billionCAD, included in the sale was Drive-In Classics.[3] The sale was approved by the CRTC in June 2007,[4] with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007 while theCitytv stations were sold toRogers Media.
On July 14, 2009, CTVglobemedia announced the sale of Drive-In Classics andSexTV: The Channel toCorus Entertainment for $40 millionCAD.[5] Before the sale was approved, Corus announced in late September that they planned to rebrand the channel, but did not give any specific details regarding the rebranding.[6] The sale was approved by the CRTC on November 19.[7]
On December 8, 2009, Corus announced that Drive-In Classics would be rebranded as a Canadian version of Sundance Channel (now known asSundanceTV) on March 1, 2010 under an agreement with the American channel's owner,AMC Networks (formerly known asRainbow Media Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary ofCablevision), which would not own any stake in the Canadian channel.[8][9] The channel was rebranded on March 1, 2010 as planned, focusing its programming on independent films, documentaries, scripted drams and comedies, and musical performances.
In February 2018, a notice was posted on Sundance Channel's website that the channel was closed on March 1, 2018. Shortly after this, the channel space that was created by Drive-In Classics in 2001 simply ceased to exist. TheCRTC revoked the channel's broadcast license on March 27, 2018.[10]
Includes former programming as ofDecember 2014.
Acquired from SundanceTV
Other Acquired Programming
Telus has announced on their website that they will carry the HD feed of Sundance Channel (Canada).[11]Shaw Direct andBell Satellite TV never launched it in time due to the channel's closure.
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