MEGA Cosmos is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
exempt
Category B Greek language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...
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
Odyssey Television Network
Odyssey Television Network, Inc. is a Canadian licensed Greek language television broadcaster who owns and operates three national ethnic channels, available via cable and satellite. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the company has been in ope ...
.
MEGA Cosmos broadcasts programming primarily from the library of the
homonymous pan-hellenic channel. Programming includes news, television dramas, game shows and more.
History
On 12 August 2011, Greek National Television Network (Canada) Inc., a subsidiary of Odyssey Television Network, was granted approval from the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
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 ...
(CRTC) to launch a television channel called ''OTN 3'', described as "a national, general interest, third-language, ethnic speciality Category B service devoted to the Greek-speaking community in Canada."
Previous to OTN 3 launching, the MEGA Cosmos brand existed in Canada from 2007 to June 2012 through Ethnic Channels Group, who owned the channel and licensed its name and programming from MEGA Cosmos' parent owners in Greece. In June 2012, the channel was shut down.
In June 2012,
Odyssey Television Network
Odyssey Television Network, Inc. is a Canadian licensed Greek language television broadcaster who owns and operates three national ethnic channels, available via cable and satellite. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the company has been in ope ...
acquired the channel rights and subsequently launched its own version on 28 June 2012 using the OTN 3 licence. Odyssey Television Network owned much of the rights to MEGA Cosmos in Canada from 2001 to 2003, when it aired on the then-named Odyssey II channel. Programming was lost in 2003, subsequently, the channel was then renamed ERT Sat (now known as ERT World) as Odyssey reached an agreement with the parent
Greek public broadcaster.
On September 14, 2018, the CRTC approved Odyssey Television Network's request to convert MEGA Cosmos (OTN3) from a licensed
Category B speciality service to an exempted third language service.
In October 2022, MEGA Cosmos re-launched in Canada, available via
Bell Satellite TV
Bell Satellite TV (french: Bell Télé; formerly known as Bell ExpressVu, Dish Network Canada and ExpressVu Dish Network and not to be confused with Bell's IPTV Bell Fibe TV, Fibe TV service) is the division of BCE Inc. that provides satellite ...
,
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 ...
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 ...
.
Notable shows
A list of notable shows that air on MEGA Cosmos, as of October 2022:
*
MEGA News' – nightly newscast
*
Koinonia Ora Mega' – morning show, airs Monday – Friday
*
Mega Kalimera' – infotainment show, airs Monday – Friday
*
I Gi Tis Elias' – drama, airs Monday - Friday
*
Mayro Rodo' – drama, airs Saturday & Sunday
*
Eleni' – lifestyle / talk show, airs weekday afternoons
References
External links
MEGA Cosmos CanadaMEGA Cosmos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mega Cosmos (Canada)
Digital cable television networks in Canada
Multicultural and ethnic television in Canada
Television channels and stations established in 2012
Greek-Canadian culture
Greek-language television stations
Canada–Greece relations