BBC Canada, Cartoon Network, FYI & Fashion Television to shut down

[CDN Viewer]

It looks like the specialty channel purge continues, according to a post on the Telus website, the following channels will be shutting down on December 5:

BBC Canada
Cartoon Network
FYI
Fashion Television

Here is the message from the Telus site, which is the same for all 4 channels:

As of December 5th, 2019, the BBC Canada channel will no longer be available due to a recent channel provider change.

Fashion Television is way over due to be shut down IMO (Book Television should be part of this list as well) and based on comments I have heard from others, BBC Canada is not very good and pales in comparison to BBC America. I am kind of surprised about Cartoon Network, guess its not that popular which makes we question why they bothered launching a separate Cartoon Network branded channel in the first place?! In that regard, I wonder if Nickeldeon Canada is next on the chopping block as it airs nothing but repeats with first run shows airing on YTV.

https://www.telus.com/en/bc/support/...amming_updates

[mtlguy]

It's weird that Corus and Bell would stop channels on the same odd day in December.
It may be the end of the road for the Corus channels, but I have questions id FT is only removed from Telus and not the end at Bell. Can we verify that?

On the Digital Home forum, there is a note:

"So far these channels are only being dropped by Bell satellite. Telus just resells Bell satellite."

[mtlguy]

I checked with Vidéotron and they say they have no plans to remove those channels at the moment.

[CDN Viewer]

Interesting,

If they are not actually shutting down but simply Bell dropping them from their lineup then why isn't Book Television being dropped as well as I doubt it has many viewers.

The wording on the Telus site is similar to the messages they posted for IFC & Cosmo TV which recently shut down- quite confusing, guess we will find out on December 5.

[mtlguy]

It's also only Bell Satellite only, they are staying on Bell Fibe.

[bigoranget]

It's also only Bell Satellite only, they are staying on Bell Fibe.

Honestly, I don't get why Bell Satellite is still carrying SD + HD duplicates. Most providers are starting to transition away from this. Shaw Direct just completed the SD purge. Shaw Blue Sky, Rogers Ignite and whatever the service is that Videotron has done away with SD channels when those respective services launched. MPEG-2 equipment is at end-of-life and much of the MPEG-2 hardware already has passed end-of-life. It's time for Bell Satellite to start dropping SD channels completely. It doesn't make economical sense to be powering countless transponders on 2x satellites when probably a good chunk of their customers have at least 1 or more HD receivers. HD receivers are pretty low cost and would probably cost way less to swap out customers than to continue powering and maintaining unnecessary satellite space.

As for specialty channels, FT and Book should have been shuttered years ago. I can't believe these channels still exist. These channels weren't even relevant when they launched back in 2001. Bell Media could probably also shutter MTV and MTV2 as well. MTV hasn't had a hit in years and much of their limited prime time content could easily be placed on any of the new "CTV" specialty channels, MUCH or E!.

As for Corus, Dejaview should absolutely be on the chopping block. The channel was decent the first few years after it launched but Canwest gave up on it, Shaw Media did nothing with it and now under Corus, it remains an after thought. Honestly at least CTV throwback has 25+ titles to choose from and complete series runs. Yeah it's mostly (if not all) Sony titles but it's way better than DejaView's offerings and at least it's on demand. Heck even CHCH has better selection and they change the shows out after their complete run. FYI, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, History 2 and Nickelodeon should absolutely be in the conversation for shuttering. I know Adult Swim just launched but I have no idea why they bothered. I could even see the Disney channels on the chopping block (mainly because I doubt Disney plans to license these to Corus long term). If people are paying $9/month for Disney+, why would they bother with the linear channels?

[lostjon]

It appears that one of these four channels will indeed be shutting down at the end of the year.

Through an unconfirmed source, Corus has announced that FYI will shut down on December 31, based on the Wikipedia page for the channel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FYI_(Canadian_TV_channel)

Frankly, no major loss at all. It's not like the American version is faring well either, under the ownership of A+E Networks. Almost all of the original shows that launched during the rebrand over five years ago have since ended production or gotten cancelled. Shows that are still in production have moved to other channels, such as Married at First Sight, which moved to Lifetime in 2017. Other than that, FYI has no original shows currently on the air - the only show with new episodes anywhere on their schedule is well, a Canadian show - HGTV original series Save My Reno, which debuted back in 2017.
Meanwhile in Canada, nothing new or original, just a combination of reruns including CanCon filler shows (Income Property, Top Million Dollar Agent, The Expandables) during primetime hours.

For now, the other three are expected to remain on the air. Someone suggested in another forum that with FashionTelevision being removed from Bell TV, this would bring down the number of subscribers to below the 200,000 mark, thus exempting it from a formal CRTC license. However, this only applies to Category B channels, whereas FashionTelevision is a Category A service and is not subject to the same criteria. Bell Media could apply to the CRTC to have the channel's license revoked and try selling it to another owner (like they did with the former Much channels that went to Stingray), though I'm not sure anyone would be interested in pursuing a zombie channel at this point. It's bound to be shut down before its license is set to expire in August 2022, following the likes of G4, IFC and VICELAND as recent Category A services that went off the air.

BBC Canada and Cartoon Network look to be safe for now, only because they retain Canadian rights to acquired programming and have higher subscription numbers compared with the other two. Corus has had a long partnership with Cartoon Network for the Canadian market since 2016 although I'm not sure for how long this is going to last, especially with increasing competition from various streaming services if they ever get to launch in Canada very soon. Speaking of BBC Canada, they are way behind with The Graham Norton Show, with episodes airing nearly two years after the original UK airdate. Meanwhile, Blue Ant Media's HiFi channel has been airing new episodes almost within the same day and date as the UK. If Corus ever plans on selling off BBC Canada, a viable buyer would be Blue Ant Media, as they already have BBC Earth in their portfolio and they could spread the BBC brand and acquire their content and spread it across some of their existing specialty channels. But they also face competition with the Britbox streaming service.

[mtlguy]

Always wondered as well why Granham Norton is so behind on BBC Canada. I'm sure it is cheaper than new episodes, but really, how expansive can this be.

[CDN Viewer]

Honestly, I don't get why Bell Satellite is still carrying SD + HD duplicates.

I agree and I would also extend that to broadcasters- why do they still continue to broadcast an SD feed of their channel in this day and age?! HD is now mainstream and as such the costs associated with it have surely come down since its no longer a 'new' technology.

It looks like Bell is not really interested in making any more investments in their satellite service choosing instead to focus on Fibe TV which they see as the future. However, if they plan on continue to operate Bell Satellite then they will have no choice but to make some changes because as you mention MPEG-2 is now outdated technology so they will have to upgrade to MPEG-4 at some point or risk losing customers to Shaw Direct.

As for specialty channels, FT and Book should have been shuttered years ago. I can't believe these channels still exist. These channels weren't even relevant when they launched back in 2001. Bell Media could probably also shutter MTV and MTV2 as well. MTV hasn't had a hit in years and much of their limited prime time content could easily be placed on any of the new "CTV" specialty channels, MUCH or E!.

Totally agree about Book Television & Fashion Televison, these channels should no longer exist yet continue to do so largely due to the outdated packaging system that BDU's continue to peddle which allows weaker channels to receive subscription fees even if no one watches the channel. As for MTV, its not a well known brand in Canada thanks to the dominance that MuchMusic had back in the day- I would incorporate MTV programming into Much (which has no clear focus any more and just airs whatever).

If people are paying $9/month for Disney+, why would they bother with the linear channels?

Not everyone can afford to pay for all these streaming services that keep popping up and some (like those who live in rural areas) don't have access to high speed internet. With streaming TV, you have the cost of internet service in addition to the cost of the streaming service whereas with cable TV you only pay for the service.

[Test Pattern]

Lets all face it. CANADIAN TV CHANNELS ARE ALL DYING OFF. Maybe they should start making some american imports available. As singer Bruce Springsteen says we'll be watching 57 Channels and nothing on. We got that here on Canadian soil. Next up shut down Deja View. Its no good for nothing anymore.

[InMontreal]

Lets all face it. CANADIAN TV CHANNELS ARE ALL DYING OFF.

We started off the 500+ channels era in 2000-2001. We had 10+ major entertainment companies willing to invest money into acquisition and production into their own niche channel. Now, we're down to 4 major vertically integrated players owning almost all specialties, all conventional TV, all radio stations, all major licenced online content, the TV distribution, the internet pipes, and almost all outdoor advertisements, newspapers for some. Priority to niche specialty channels went way, ways down.

[bigoranget]

Not everyone can afford to pay for all these streaming services that keep popping up and some (like those who live in rural areas) don't have access to high speed internet. With streaming TV, you have the cost of internet service in addition to the cost of the streaming service whereas with cable TV you only pay for the service.

That is true but I can bet that Disney Plus will instantly become a major player in streaming services. I would even wager it will surpass the entry level tier CraveTV subscription numbers. Rural areas are already cut off from first run Disney movies as they are currently with Netflix. I honestly think Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior are on borrowed time in Canada.

[CDN Viewer]

CANADIAN TV CHANNELS ARE ALL DYING OFF. Maybe they should start making some american imports available.

There are too many specialty channels and most are mediocre quality so I think getting rid of the weaker ones is not a bad thing. I favour quality over quantity, its better to have 5-10 good quality channels as opposed to 30-40 mediocre ones that just air endless repeats of the same shows (which is what a lot of the channels are doing thesedays). Also, the Canadian market is not big enough IMO to support hundreds of specialty channels, so its only natural that the number of channels decline.

The American specialty channels are not that much better then the Canadian ones, so bringing in some US channels (which won't happen) won't improve things very much IMO. The most popular content from the most popular US specialties is already available here and thanks to the internet, most popular shows air day and date with the USA instead of days or weeks later which was the case back in the day.

Now, we're down to 4 major vertically integrated players owning almost all specialties, all conventional TV, all radio stations, all major licenced online content, the TV distribution, the internet pipes, and almost all outdoor advertisements, newspapers for some.

Therein lies the problem, the big media conglomerates have a stranglehold over pretty much everything. In the case of specialty TV, the concentration of ownership has resulted in channels whose niche has slowly been stripped away and the channel turned into a general interest service that appeals to a bigger audience and allows them to solicit more and varied advertising. The niche or specialty is what attracts viewers, if all channels air pretty much the same content then where is the incentive to subscribe?!

[CDN Viewer]

That is true but I can bet that Disney Plus will instantly become a major player in streaming services. I would even wager it will surpass the entry level tier CraveTV subscription numbers. Rural areas are already cut off from first run Disney movies as they are currently with Netflix. I honestly think Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior are on borrowed time in Canada.

Disney is very popular and I have no doubt that Disney+ will do well but I don't think just because they will be launching this streaming service that they are going to pull the plug on the TV channels. As long as the channels are profitable and Corus is able to pay to license the content from Disney then they will continue to exist.

Regarding Streaming TV in general, the more popular it becomes and once subscriber numbers hit a certain threshold (determined by the service provider), you will start to see prices increase which will make things a lot more expensive then they currently are. Disney already has a built in library of programming (unlike Netflix who relies on acquired content and has had to build up their lineup of original content over time) and will likely jack up the rates after a year or two.

[lostjon]

As of Thursday, Bell continues to carry BBC Canada, Cartoon Network and Fashion Television. These three channels are listed in the current packages being offered for Bell Satellite and Bell TV, upon visiting the Bell website.

On the other hand, FYI has been removed from the lineup altogether, and in the packages for both of Bell's TV services on their website, with less than a month before the channel officially shuts down.
Earlier, the EPG had been showing the listings for that channel but it has since been changed to the following message: This Channel is no Longer Offered by its Content Provider, starting from 6:00am today.

In my case, for those that are on a legacy package, I noticed that the three channels are no longer showing where I usually navigate to My Account and make changes to my programming. This would seem to confirm that Bell is gradually reducing the availability of these channels only to subscribers of Bell's current packages. In all honesty, they should have just dropped Fashion Television altogether like they have done with FYI. Additionally, I had no intention to add any of these channels to my package, so overall, no major loss.

Meanwhile, Bell added Toon-A-Vision, another Canadian animated specialty channel to their Fibe (including Aliant) and Satellite TV services with a three month free preview. It first launched in September 2018 exclusively on Eastlink.

[CDN Viewer]

Telus posted an updated message on their website at the end of November, it looks like Bell changed their mind and are not dropping BBC Canada, Cartoon Network & Fashion Television. Here is the updated message:

BBC Canada, Cartoon Network and Fashion Television will all remain active and available as individual channels and as part of the theme packs they are currently included in.

FYI, on the other hand, is apparently shutting down on Dec. 31 so it will be gone completely from all providers.