Max 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 ...
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...
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
Remstar Media Group, a division of Remstar. The channel primarily broadcasts entertainment programming, focusing on scripted television series and films.
Established in 1997 as MusiMax as a joint venture between
CHUM Limited and Radiomutuel, it was originally conceived as a sister network to
MusiquePlus
Elle Fictions (stylized ELLE Fictions) is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by Remstar Media Group. The channel broadcasts general entertainment programming targeting young adult women.
It was first established in 1986 as the mus ...
, and focused primarily on
adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
(making it the French-language equivalent to
MuchMusic's then-sister network
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 ...
).
History
On September 4, 1996,
CHUM Limited and Radiomutuel were 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 MusiMax, described as ''"a national French-language specialty service designed for an adult audience that will be devoted to music in all its forms..."''
![MusiMax logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/MusiMax_logo.svg)
The channel launched on September 8, 1997 as MusiMax under a 50/50 joint venture between CHUM Limited and Radiomutuel. The channel focused primarily on
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
music.
In June 1999, Astral Media announced it would take over Radiomutuel and gain control of Radiomutuel's assets including MusiMax shortly thereafter. In July 2006,
CTVglobemedia announced it would acquire CHUM Limited. While the company initially planned to keep MusiquePlus and MusiMax, it instead elected to sell its stakes in the networks. On April 11, 2007, Astral Media announced that it would be acquiring the remaining 50% in MusiMax and MusiquePlus from CHUM Limited, giving it majority ownership. The sale was completed on June 30, 2007.
On March 4, 2013, following the
Competition Bureau
The Competition Bureau (french: Bureau de la concurrence) is the competition regulator in Canada. It is an independent Canadian law enforcement agency that ensures that markets operate in a competitive, innovative manner.
Headed by the Comm ...
's approval of
Bell Media's takeover of Astral, Bell announced that it would sell MusiquePlus, MusiMax, and
Family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
and its
three sister networks in an attempt to relieve CRTC concerns regarding the takeover. On December 4, 2013,
Remstar
Remcorp is a Canadian private investment firm founded by businessman Maxime Rémillard. Its head offices are located in Montreal, Quebec.
History
The company was founded in 1997.
At first involved in the entertainment industry, Remcorp now ma ...
, owners of the French television system
V, announced that it would acquire MusiquePlus and MusiMax for an undisclosed amount through its subsidiary
V Media Group
Remstar Media Group is a privately held Canadian media firm, owned by the film production and distribution company Remcorp. It owns the French-language specialty channels Elle Fictions and Max.
History
In June 2008, Remstar acquired the Frenc ...
.
On September 11, 2014, the CRTC approved the sale. The acquisition is valued at $15.5 million; to fund the purchase, Remstar will sell 15% stakes in V Media to
the Caisse,
Fonds de solidarité FTQ
The largest development capital network in the province, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ was created on the initiative of the FTQ, Québec's largest central labour body.
As of Novembre 30, 2022, the Fonds held $17.8 billion in net assets and ha ...
and a third unannounced investor, and sell $1.5 million in advertising time across MusiquePlus and MusiMax to Bell. Remstar also successfully applied to have the amount of music-oriented programming the channel must air reduced to 80%.
The sale was closed on September 16, 2014.
On August 29, 2016, MusiMax rebranded as Max, switching to a general entertainment format.
Max HD
On August 23, 2010, Astral launched a
HD feed of MusiMax called MusiMax HD.
MusiquePlus et Musimax en HD, enfin!
It is 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 ...
, Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications and media company. Its corporate offices are located at 1 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec. The company is structured into three strategic business units (SBU); Cogeco Connexion, Breezeline ( ...
and Vidéotron.
International distribution
* Saint Pierre and Miquelon - distributed on SPM Telecom systems.
See also
* List of French-language Canadian television series
This is a non-exhaustive list of French-language television series from Canada. Most such television series are produced in Quebec, although a small number are also produced elsewhere in Canada. Series produced outside Quebec are noted below with ...
* List of Quebec musicians
This is a list of singers, bands, composers and other musicians from the province of Quebec.
Blues
* Garou – also pop
* Okoumé – also néo-trad, rock and electronica
* Roxanne Potvin – singer, guitarist
* David Wilcox
Chanson
* D ...
* Music of Quebec
* Culture of Quebec
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Max
Music video networks in Canada
Television channels and stations established in 1997
French-language television networks in Canada
1997 establishments in Canada