ATN Channel is a Canadian
Category A specialty channel
A specialty channel (also known in the United States as a cable channel or cable network) can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted ...
, owned by
Asian Television Network
Asian Television Network (ATN) is a publicly traded Canadian broadcasting company, with 54 television channels in 9 languages, serving the South Asian cultural communities in Canada. ATN operates a South Asian Radio service on XM, available in ...
(ATN). It is the flagship channel of the Asian Television Network and features programming from
&TV as well as
Canadian content
Canadian content (abbreviated CanCon, cancon or can-con; ) refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requirements, derived from the Broadcasting Act of Canada, that radio and television broadcasters (inclu ...
in several
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
n languages.
History
On September 4, 1996, South Asian Television Canada Limited was granted approval from the
CRTC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...
to launch an ethnic specialty television channel called ''SATV'', a regional service catering to the South Asian community in Ontario.
On August 7, 1997, South Asian Television Canada Limited received approval to convert SATV into a national service, available across Canada.
The channel officially launched in May 1998 as ''ATN'' via cable and satellite.
ATN signed an agreement with
Zee Network
Zee Entertainment Enterprises (formerly Zee Telefilms) is an Indian media conglomerate owned by Essel Group. Headquartered in Mumbai, it has interests in television, print, internet, film, businesses related to mobile contents, and operates 45 ...
, securing the exclusive rights to programming from
Zee TV
Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV also ...
, India's top rated channel at the time. This milestone agreement marked the first major content acquisition for ATN and resulted in Zee TV becoming the main source of programming for ATN channel which was subsequently renamed ''ATN Zee TV''.
On September 7, 2006, ATN signed an agreement with
STAR Plus
StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedies, ...
, India's top rated entertainment channel. Programming from STAR Plus was subsequently added to the lineup of ATN Zee TV in October 2006 and resulted in the channel being renamed ATN channel.
On January 23, 2013, it was announced that ATN would no longer be airing any programming from Zee TV as of February 1, 2013, due to the expiration of its licensing agreement with Zee. It was also announced that ATN plans on launching an HD feed of ATN channel in March 2013.
On January 29, 2013, it was announced that Zee TV Canada will be launched as a 24/7 channel in Canada, which will be available on Bell, Telus, Rogers. http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k13/jan/jan253.php
On October 6, 2017, ATN Star Plus lost the rights to programming from Star Plus. It subsequently began airing foreign programming from
&TV.
&TV replace Star Plus to be part of the ATN HD channel
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ATN HD
On June 1, 2013, ATN launched ATN HD, a high definition simulcast of the standard definition
Standard-definition television (SDTV, SD, often shortened to standard definition) is a television system which uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. "Standard" refers to it being the prevailing sp ...
feed. It is currently available on Bell Fibe TV
Bell Fibe TV is an IP-based television service offered by Bell Canada in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is bundled with a FTTN or FTTH Bell Internet service, and uses the Mediaroom platform. Bell Fibe TV officially launched on Septem ...
, Optik TV
Telus Optik TV is a product of Telus Communications, a subsidiary of Telus Corporation, that provides IPTV service in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec. The service offers over 630 digital channels, including more t ...
and Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc. is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, primarily in Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. Ro ...
.
See also
* List of South Asian television channels in Canada
References
External links
*
&TV
{{DEFAULTSORT:ATN Channel
Analog cable television networks in Canada
Television channels and stations established in 1998
ATN
ATN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The licence, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of John Fairfax & Sons, was one of the first four licences (two in Sydney, two ...