Stingray Retro is a Canadian English language discretionary

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 the

Stingray Group Stingray Group Inc. (formerly Stingray Digital and Stingray Digital Group) is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment company based in Montreal, Quebec, with offices in the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, S ...

. The channel broadcasts music videos mainly from the 1970s to the early 2010s, with some music videos from the 1960s being played occasionally as well.

History

In November 2000, CHUM Limited 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 national English language Category 2 specialty television service called ''MuchMore ClassicVideo'', described as "consisting of classic (songs more than five years old) music videos and related programs, including music and pop news or commentaries, interviews, concerts, profiles and specials, as well as music-related feature films and series or programs."

The channel was launched on September 4, 2003 as a commercial-free service under the name MuchMoreRetro, a spin-off of

MuchMoreMusic M3 was a Canadian English language Category A cable and satellite specialty channel owned by Bell Media. Established in 1998 as MuchMoreMusic, the network began as a spin-off of the youth-oriented MuchMusic, targeting an older demographic with ...

(which is owned by CHUM at the time). In July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later called CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billion

CAD Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...

, included in the sale was MuchMoreRetro. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007. After the channel's initial launch in 2003, it began to introduce commercials throughout its schedule until August 31, 2009 when the channel, along with the other CTVglobemedia-owned digital music channels, switched back to a commercial-free format, while the analogue cable music channels continue to run commercials during programs to this day. On September 10, 2010, BCE (a minority shareholder in CTVglobemedia) announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of $3.2 billion CAD. The deal which required CRTC approval, was approved on March 7, 2011 and closed on April 1 of that year, on which CTVglobemedia was rebranded Bell Media. On November 1, 2013, after MuchMore was rebranded as M3 in September of that year, MuchMoreRetro was rebranded as MuchRetro—aligning itself with

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...

for the first time. On June 21, 2016, it was announced that Stingray Digital would acquire MuchRetro and its sister networks from Bell Media. The acquisition closed on September 16, 2016 with a plan to rebrand the channel as Stingray Retro. On June 1, 2017, Stingray announced the completion of the rebranding process for all 4 channels (MuchRetro was rebranded Stingray Retro prior to June 1), which included new programming and a national promotional campaign.Stingray Introduces a New Golden Age of Music TV with the Launch of Stingray Retro, Stingray Vibe, Stingray Loud, and Stingray Juicebox
MarketWired press release 06 01 17 Sometime in 2019, the channel switched back to an ad-supported service again, this time to match some of Stingray's radio stations with the matching format.

The first 10 music videos to air on the channel

* 1. Glass Tiger - " Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (1986) * 2.

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

- " The Reflex" (1983) * 3.

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

- " Like a Prayer" (1989) * 4. Michael Jackson - "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album. Jackson l ...

" (1982) * 5. Prince &

The Revolution A revolution is a drastic political change that usually occurs relatively quickly. For revolutions which affect society, culture, and technology more than political systems, see social revolution. Revolution may also refer to: Aviation *Warner ...

- " Kiss" (1986) * 6. Cyndi Lauper - "

Girls Just Want To Have Fun "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a song written, recorded and performed by American musician Robert Hazard, who released it as a Single (music), single in 1979. It is best known for the version of American singer Cyndi Lauper, who covered the s ...

" (1983) * 7. Corey Hart - "

Sunglasses at Night "Sunglasses at Night" is a song by Canadian singer Corey Hart. It was released on January 21, 1984 as the first single from his debut album, 1983's '' First Offense'', and became a hit single in the United States, officially rising to number 7 o ...

" (1983) * 8. Bryan Adams - " Summer of '69" (1984) * 9. U2 - " Where the Streets Have No Name" (1987) * 10.

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

- " Livin' on a Prayer" (1986)

Programming

Current

* ''90s Pop on Top'' * ''Can't Top This'' * ''Daily Video Hits'' * ''Morning Flashback'' * ''My First Video'' * ''One-Hit Wonders'' * ''Please Rewind'' * ''Popcorn Time'' * ''Reloaded Club Hits'' * ''Retro Through Time'' * ''Retro Weekend'' * ''The Iconics''

Former

* ''Cheesiest Videos'' * ''Retro Concerts'' * ''Retro @ The Movies''

References

External links

Official siteChannel description
{{Music television channels in Canada Stingray Group Commercial-free television networks Music video networks in Canada Television channels and stations established in 2003 Digital cable television networks in Canada English-language television stations in Canada