IFC (Canadian TV channel)

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IFC
Owned by Corus Entertainment
(name licensed from AMC Networks)
(Showcase Television Inc.)
Country Canada
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario

IFC was a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel broadcast independent films, documentaries, and television series. Its name was licensed from the American company AMC Networks, the owner of IFC. The channel ceased operations on September 30, 2019.

History

In November 2000, a joint venture between Salter Street Films (95%) and Triptych Media Inc. (5%) were awarded a broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a channel called The Independent Film Channel Canada, intended to emulate the American IFC service, the channel was described as "a national English-language Category 1 specialty television service consisting of dramatic and non-fiction short and feature-length independent films, and programs focusing on the independent film-making process, film makers and film festivals."[1]

On February 9, 2001, the CRTC approved a proposed corporate restructuring that would allow Salter Street Films acquire Triptych Media's 5% in the service.[2] Three days later, on February 12, Alliance Atlantis announced that it would be purchasing Salter Street Films, acquiring the licence for the Independent Film Channel Canada in the process.[3]

The channel was launched on August 15, 2001 as Independent Film Channel or IFC, under the sole ownership of Salter Street Films, with its name licensed from its American counterpart, IFC. In December 2001, the CRTC approved the purchase Salter Street Films by Alliance Atlantis.[4]

On January 18, 2008,[5] a joint venture between Canwest and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners known as CW Media,[6] acquired control of IFC through its purchase of Alliance Atlantis' broadcasting assets, which were placed in a trust in August 2007.[7] On October 27, 2010, ownership changed again as Shaw Communications gained control of IFC as a result of its acquisition of Canwest and Goldman Sachs' interest in CW Media.[8][9]

On April 1, 2016, IFC's parent company Shaw Media was sold to Corus Entertainment.[10]

In July 2019, various cable operators reported that the channel would be shut down alongside CosmoTV on September 30, 2019.[11][12]

Programming

Like its U.S. namesake, the channel originally focused almost exclusively on smaller independent films. However, it eventually broadened its programming to include more mainstream films as many independent studios became divisions of major film companies. It has also de-emphasized the use of the full Independent Film Channel name, instead using the IFC acronym, possibly due to the decreasing number of independent films in its programming lineup. The channel still utilized the 2001 IFC logo rather than the current-day American version, which was still used by IFC Films at the time of the network's closure.

IFC also began to regularly air TV series. These are mostly second-run programs that previously aired on other Canadian channels, such as sister channel Showcase. None of the American version's original programming airs on this channel; they have instead been picked up by competing Canadian channels. For example, Portlandia premiered on Super Channel and aired in syndication on BiteTV (Now Makeful). For a number of years, it mainly carried content from the American cable network Showtime under a licensing agreement with that network's owner, the CBS Corporation.

As of December 2013, Bell Media, the rival broadcaster of IFC Canada's parent company Corus Entertainment, had an exclusive deal for the American channel's original programming; including The Spoils of Babylon (which premiered on The Movie Network) and Comedy Bang! Bang! (which currently airs on MuchMusic), as well as past shows.[13]

Noted series

A list of notable shows that aired on IFC Canada, as of March 2015:

IFC HD

In late 2016, Shaw launched IFC HD, a 1080i high definition simulcast of the standard definition feed, which was carried by Eastlink and Optik TV, along with Shaw Direct.

References

  1. ↑ Decision CRTC 2000-459 CRTC 2000-12-14
  2. ↑ Decision CRTC 2001-55 CRTC 2001-02-09
  3. ↑ Alliance Atlantis buys Salter Street Films CBC 2001-02-12
  4. ↑ Decision CRTC 2001-752 CRTC 2001-12-13
  5. ↑ Canwest Global receives final CRTC approval for acquisition of Alliance Atlantis CNW press release 2008-01-18
  6. ↑ Goldman's happy ending at CanWest The Globe and Mail 2010-05-03
  7. ↑ CanWest Completes Acquisition of Alliance Atlantis Archived 2012-04-23 at the Wayback Machine Investor Point 2007-08-15
  8. ↑ Shaw Communications closes purchase of Canwest TV assets, rebrands as Shaw Media[dead link]
  9. ↑ CRTC approves Shaw’s purchase of the Canwest Global television properties Archived 2013-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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