Elle Fictions (stylized ELLE Fictions) is a Canadian French language
specialty channel owned by
Remstar 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 ...
. The channel broadcasts general entertainment programming targeting young adult women.
It was first established in 1986 as the
music television
Music television is a type of television programming which focuses predominantly on playing music videos from recording artists, usually on dedicated television channels broadcasting on satellite, cable, or Streaming Platforms.
Music television ...
channel MusiquePlus, as a joint venture between
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CHU ...
—owner of its English-language sister
MuchMusic, and Montreal-based radio broadcaster Radiomutuel. Following the acquisition of CHUM by CTVglobemedia, Radiomutuel's successor
Astral Media acquired CHUM's stake in MusiquePlus, marking its separation from common ownership with its English counterpart. After the 2013 acquisition of Astral by CTVglobemedia's predecessor
Bell Media
Bell Media Inc. (French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies.
Establishment (2011–13)
On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...
, MusiquePlus was sold to V Media Group, parent company of Quebec's
V network.
As with its English counterpart, MusiquePlus was formerly oriented primarily towards music programming. Due to shrinking interest in music television because of the growth of online platforms, MusiquePlus increasingly focused on non-music programming targeting a young adult audience, such as comedy, films, and reality shows. In February 2019, V Media Group announced that it planned to discontinue MusiquePlus entirely, and re-launch the channel with an entertainment format targeting women. The channel officially relaunched as under its current branding,
licensed
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
from the French women's magazine ''
Elle
''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
,'' on August 26, 2019.
As a former
Category A service
Category A services were a class of Canadian specialty television channel which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, must be offered by all digital cable and direct broadcast satellite providers that h ...
, Elle Fictions was required to be carried on the basic service of all digital television providers serving the province of Quebec. The channel was, and still is, typically offered optionally at the discretion of providers outside of the province.
History
As MusiquePlus
Launching on September 2, 1986, MusiquePlus originated with an eight-hour schedule, sharing channel space with TVJQ (a predecessor of
VRAK.TV
Vrak (stylized as VRΔK) is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by Bell Media. The channel primarily broadcasts live-action programming aimed at youth audiences.
History Background
The youth channel TVJQ () went on the air in ...
); it consisted of music videos and interviews and performances that were taped from a studio on Boulevard St. Laurent in Montreal. Four hours of this programming was produced from MuchMusic's studios in Toronto and sent to
Vidéotron
Vidéotron is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Owned by Quebecor, it primarily ...
for broadcast in Quebec to subscribers of MuchMusic. This programming repeated once daily.
CHUM later submitted an application with the CRTC in 1987 for a licence to operate MusiquePlus as a dedicated 24-hour channel. The CRTC approved its application, and MusiquePlus was launched as a separate channel on September 1, 1988. The channel was a joint venture between CHUM Limited and Radiomutueleach owning 50%. Radiomutuel was acquired by
Astral Media in June 1999.
In July 2006,
CTVglobemedia
Bell Media Inc. (French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies.
Establishment (2011–13)
On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...
announced it would make a bid to buy CHUM Limited. Initial plans were to keep MusiquePlus and MusiMax, although CTVglobemedia soon announced that it would sell its stake in MusiquePlus and Musimax. On April 11, 2007, Astral announced that it would acquire the remaining 50% in MusiMax and MusiquePlus from CTVglobemedia, giving it full ownership—separating the network from its original parent. This deal was completed on June 30, 2007—to signify its independence from MuchMusic, MusiquePlus adopted a new logo the following year in September 2008.
On August 23, 2010, Astral launched a
high definition feed of MusiquePlus.
Sale to Remstar/V Media Group
![Logo MusiquePlus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Logo_MusiquePlus.svg)
While MusiquePlus has operated separately from MuchMusic ever since the deal, the network was almost re-united with its former parent in 2012 when CTVglobemedia's successor
Bell Media
Bell Media Inc. (French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies.
Establishment (2011–13)
On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...
attempted to acquire the entirety of Astral Media for an estimated $3.38 billion. However, the proposed deal was rejected by the CRTC.
On March 4, 2013, following consultation with the
Competition Bureau, Bell announced that it would go through with the purchase, but divest MusiquePlus, Musimax, and four other Astral-owned channels.
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.
On September 11, 2014, the CRTC approved the sale. The acquisition is valued at $15.5 million; to fund the purchase, Remstar sold 15% stakes in the holding company
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 ...
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
Investissement Québec Investissement Québec is a company established in 1998 under an act passed by the National Assembly of Quebec to favour investment in Quebec by Quebec-based and international companies. Its registered office is located in Quebec City. In December 2 ...
, and sold $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.
As Elle Fictions
In February 2019, V Media Group announced that MusiquePlus would be rebranded and relaunched later in the year, as a network featuring scripted programming catered towards a female audience. The company cited the successful relaunch of sister channel MusiMax as the general entertainment channel Max as a factor in the decision.
In May 2019, it was announced that the channel would re-launch on August 26 as Elle Fictions, and that it would feature series and films targeting "active" young adult women. The branding is licensed from the French magazine ''
Elle
''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
'': the French Canadian version of the magazine had previously been published by Remstar rival
Groupe TVA
Groupe TVA Inc. is a Canadian communications company with operations in broadcasting, publishing and production. It was founded as Télé-Métropole Corporation in 1960, and owned CFTM-TV, Montreal's first privately-owned francophone station. It ...
, but it had been announced that the rights were being acquired by KO Media—owned by local personality Louis Morissette.
Programming
As Elle Fictions
The channel primarily broadcasts French-language dubs of drama series, as well as an originally-Spanish-language
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
.
* ''
Dawson's Creek
''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...
''
* ''
Desperate Housewives''
* ''
For the People''
* ''
Gilmore Girls
''Gilmore Girls'' is an American Comedy drama, comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and beca ...
''
* ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...
''
* ''
Pasión prohibida
''Pasión Prohibida'' () is a Spanish-language romantic drama telenovela produced by United States-based television network Telemundo Television Studios, Miami. It is a remake of the Turkish telenovela '' Aşk-ı Memnu'' by Ece Yörenç and Melek ...
''
* ''
Road to Avonlea''
As MusiquePlus
In the beginning of MusiquePlus, its programming relied heavily on music videos, which came from a much more diverse selection of genres because MusiquePlus was the only French language music service available at the time. With the launch of
MusiMax
Max is a Canadian French language specialty channel 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 ...
, a sister channel aimed at an older demographic (and similar to MuchMusic's sister channel
MuchMore
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 wit ...
), MusiquePlus began to cater its programming to younger viewers. As the channel grew over time, dependence on music videos decreased and programming began to include films, reality TV series and comedies (such as ''
L'Gros Show'').
''
Décompte MusiquePlus'' served as the channel's weekly top-20 program.
Notable former staff
*
Sonia Benezra Sonia Benezra (born September 25, 1960 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian TV and radio interviewer and personality and actress who formerly hosted shows on MusiquePlus, MusiMax, MuchMusic and MuchMoreMusic. She hosted a daily live talk show on the ...
*
Véronique Cloutier
Véronique Cloutier (born December 31, 1974), also known as Véro, is a popular French Canadian TV and radio personality. She is the daughter of Guy Cloutier and the sister of Stéphanie Cloutier. She has hosted various programs on Radio-Canada, i ...
*
Marlyne Afflack
*
Abeille Gélinas
Abeille Gélinas, also known as DJ Abeille, (born July 12, 1979) is a Canadian DJ, entertainer and actress.
Biography
Born in the province of Quebec, she is the sister of actress and singer Mitsou and the granddaughter of actor Gratien Gélinas. ...
*
Louis-José Houde
Louis-José Houde (born October 19, 1977 in Saint-Apollinaire, Quebec) is a French-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his performances in films such as ''Bon Cop, Bad Cop'' in 2006, '' Father and Guns (De père en flic)'' in 2009 ...
*
Pierre Landry
Pierre Henri Landry (14 June 1899 – 7 December 1990) was a Russian-born French international tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two player ...
*
Patrick Langlois
*
Anne-Marie Losique
*
Marie Plourde
*
Catherine Pogonat
*
Juliette Powell
Juliette Powell American-born Canadian model, television host, producer and author. She was the Miss Canada titleholder in 1989, the contest's first Black Canadian winner.
Early life
Powell was born in Manhattan, New York in 1971 and moved to Mo ...
*
Claude Rajotte
Claude Rajotte (born July 3, 1955) is a well-known Canadian DJ/VJ/music critic from Montreal, Quebec.
Life
Rajotte was born in Drummondville, Quebec on July 3, 1955. His career started at the local radio station CHRD, in 1974. After short stints i ...
*
Anne-Marie Withenshaw
Anne-Marie Withenshaw is a Canadian television and radio personality, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Career
Withenshaw graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Arts & Science in Communications Studies.
She started working on Much ...
See also
*
Music of Quebec
Like many cosmopolitan cities, Quebec is a home for all genres of music. From folk music to hip hop, music has always played an important role in Quebecer culture. In the 1920s and '30s singer/songwriter Madam Bolduc performed comedic songs in ...
*
Culture of Quebec
The culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting predominantly from the shared history of the French-speaking North American majority in Quebec. Québécois culture, as a whole, constitutes all distinctive traits – spirit ...
References
External links
*
{{Elle magazine
Elle (magazine)
Television channels and stations established in 1986
1986 establishments in Quebec
French-language television networks in Canada