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Elle Fictions (stylized ELLE Fictions) is a Canadian French language
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 targete ...
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 replaced 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 televis ...
channel MusiquePlus first established in 1986 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), CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in ...
—owner of its English-language sister
MuchMusic Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...
, and Montreal-based radio broadcaster Radiomutuel. Following the acquisition of CHUM by CTVglobemedia, Radiomutuel's successor
Astral Media Astral Media Inc. was a Canadian media conglomerate. It was Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 84 radio stations in eight provinces. Astral was also a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, with 23 specialty channel ...
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 successor
Bell Media Bell Media Inc. (Canadian French, French: ) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (also known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada). Its operations include nati ...
, MusiquePlus was sold to V Media Group, parent company of Quebec's V network. In February 2019, V Media Group announced that it planned to discontinue MusiquePlus entirely, and replace the channel with an entertainment format targeting women. The channel officially launched, licensed from the French women's magazine ''
Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...
,'' on August 26, 2019. 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. After the CRTC abolished genre protection rules in 2015, V Media Group announced in February 2019 that it planned to relaunch MusiquePlus as a general entertainment channel targeting women. This channel was officially relaunched as Elle Fictions— licensed from the French women's magazine ''
Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...
—''on August 26, 2019. As a former
Category A service A discretionary service is a Canadian specialty channel which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, may be carried optionally by all subscription television providers. It replaces the previous category A, ...
, Elle Fictions was required to be carried on the basic service of all digital television providers serving the province of Quebec. The channel is typically offered optionally at the discretion of providers outside of the province.


History


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) was a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Media. The channel primarily broadcast live-action programming aimed at 13-to-35 age group audiences. Launched in 1988 as Le Canal Fa ...
); 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 founded in 1964. It's active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Owned by Qu ...
for broadcast in Quebec to subscribers of MuchMusic. This programming is repeated once daily. CHUM later applied to 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 Astral Media Inc. was a Canadian media conglomerate. It was Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 84 radio stations in eight provinces. Astral was also a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, with 23 specialty channel ...
in June 1999. In July 2006,
CTVglobemedia Bell Media Inc. ( French: ) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (also known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada). Its operations include national television ...
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% of 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

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. (Canadian French, French: ) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (also known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada). Its operations include nati ...
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 The Competition Bureau () is the independent law enforcement agency in charge of regulating competition in Canada, responsible for ensuring that markets operate in a competitive manner. Headed by the Commissioner of Competition, the agency is ...
, 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 m ...
, 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 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 November 30, 2022, the Fonds held $17.8 billion in net assets and had m ...
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 Decem ...
, 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.


Elle Fictions

In February 2019, V Media Group announced that MusiquePlus would be replaced later in the year by 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 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 may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...
'': 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. In October 2024,
Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...
announced commemorative postage stamps honouring MuchMusic and MusiquePlus, depicting their respective headquarters.


References


External links

* {{Elle magazine Elle (magazine) Television channels and stations established in 2019 2019 establishments in Quebec French-language television networks in Canada