BookTelevision was 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 ...

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

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

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 ...

. The channel was originally established in 2001 by

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 ...

, airing programming relating to books,

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

, and various media. The network later shifted primarily to airing Bell Media library programming with little relevance to its original format. Amid declining investments in the channel, BookTelevision was shut down on February 21, 2021.

History

In November 2000, Learning and Skills Television of Alberta, a company majority owned by

(60%), was awarded a category 1 television broadcasting licence by 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 broadcast ...

(CRTC) called ''BookTelevision - The Channel'', described as "a national English-language Category 1 specialty television service that will feature magazines and talk shows, dramas and documentaries that are exclusively based upon printed and published works, and offered with additional programming that provides an educational context and promotes reading." The channel was launched on September 7, 2001.The history of CHUM
Globe and Mail article 2006-06-12 Although, shortly after the channel's launch, "The Channel" was dropped from its name and logo, resulting in a name change to simply BookTelevision. On February 15, 2005, CHUM completed the purchase of the remaining interest in LSTA, bringing its ownership to 100 percent. A year later, in July 2006,

Bell Globemedia 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 ...

(later renamed 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 c ...

, included in the sale was LSTA and its interest in BookTelevision. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007. In 2008, LSTA (then known as Access Media Group) was wound up into CTV Limited (the renamed CHUM Limited). 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. Along with

Fashion Television ''FashionTelevision'', also known as ''FT'', is a Canadian-produced special interest show focusing on fashion. The show, created by Jay Levine in 1985, was last hosted by Jeanne Beker. Production of the broadcast ended on April 11, 2012. The pr ...

, the channel later abandoned its original format, and began to primarily air reruns of library programming from other Bell Media networks, and after CRTC category restrictions were repealed in 2015, reruns of dramas such as ''JAG'' and ''Matlock'', properties that had no literary inspiration. The channel ceased investments in original Canadian programming, and was rarely promoted by Bell. In January 2021, the CRTC approved a request by Bell to revoke BookTelevision and Fashion Television's licenses, stating that it planned to shut both channels down on February 21.

References

External links

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Original CRTC Broadcast Decision
{{DEFAULTSORT:Booktelevision Defunct Canadian television channels 2001 establishments in Canada 2021 disestablishments in Canada Digital cable television networks in Canada Television channels and stations established in 2001 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2021 English-language television stations in Canada Former Bell Media networks