The Life Channel 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 ...
premium television service featuring programming on lifestyle and health subjects, existing for almost 14 months in the late 1980s. The programming represented some of the earlier efforts of Canada's premium television industry, considering
pay-TV movie channels had commenced in 1983. It should not be confused with later Canadian cable channels Life Network (now known as
Slice) and
CTV Life Channel.
History
The Life Channel was approved for broadcast by the
CRTC on 14 March 1985 following licensing hearings on 5 February 1985.
The company was a partnership between
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
, Manitoba doctor John Tyson, who became president of the company,
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Ontario lawyer Michael G. Rinaldo, who became director and secretary, and broadcast company
CUC Limited.
On 18 October 1985, The Life Channel began satellite broadcasts to
cable companies
This is a list of cable television providers by country.
Andorra
* Mútua Elèctrica(Cable Mútua), Sant Julià de Lória)
Argentina
* Cablevisión
*DirecTV
*
*
*Gigared
*Telered
Australia
* Foxtel
*Fetch TV
Austria
*BKF
*LIWEST
*Salzburg A ...
on a
pay-TV basis. The initial broadcasts were available free to cable subscribers as a preview until 1 November 1985. Subscription cost was $5.95 per month, but included free with the other Canadian pay-TV channels at the time, at a cost of $19.95.
Notable programming included
Ruth Westheimer's ''Good Sex!'' programme which was imported from the American
Lifetime network.
Domestic programming included a talk show hosted by
Shirley Solomon and a medical information show, ''Doctor On Call'', hosted by John Tyson.
As of September 1986, the service attracted relatively small subscriber base of 380,000 compared to 892,000 for
TSN, 848,000 for
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, ...
. The Life Channel had increased the wholesale price it charges cable companies from 15 of 55 cents per subscriber, a move which resulted in some cable systems cancelling the service.
Faced with financial problems which included a $4 million debt, The Life Channel ceased broadcasts after 30 November 1986. Its licence was revoked by the
CRTC on 1 February 1988.
CRTC Decision 88-67
/ref>
References
Defunct television networks in Canada
Television channels and stations established in 1985
Television channels and stations disestablished in 1986
1985 establishments in Canada
{{Canada-tv-station-stub