By Connie Thiessen
Bell Media has secured a major content and licensing agreement with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution that will bring the USA Network and Oxygen True Crime cable channels to Canada for the first time.
Starting Jan. 1, existing specialty channels Animal Planet, Discovery Science, and Discovery Velocity, will be rebranded as CTV Wild, CTV Nature, and CTV Speed, respectively.
The moves follow the loss of the Canadian brand and content licensing rights for Warner Bros. Discovery specialty channels to Rogers. Programming from all five rebranded specialty channels is set to be available on linear television, and on demand on CTV.ca, the CTV app, and Bell Media’s Crave streaming service.
While the names of the channels have changed, many of the series they carried will remain the same:
- USA Network (formerly Discovery in the Bell channel lineup), is billed as a Top 3 cable channel in the U.S., and will carry previous Discovery titles like Highway Thru Hell, the Mighty franchise, and scripted and unscripted series like Suits, The Traitors, and upcoming CIA miniseries, Debriefing the President.
- Oxygen True Crime (formerly Investigation ID) will feature previous Investigation ID Canadian originals, including Forensic Factor and Fear They Neighbour, in addition to unscripted series like Snapped, Dateline: Secrets Uncovered and Real Murders.
- CTV Nature (formerly Discovery Science) will focus on mysteries of science, nature, and history, featuring Canadian originals like Disasters at Sea, The Death Coast, I Survived Bear Grylls and Battlebots.
- CTV Wild (formerly Animal Planet) will air former Animal Planet Canadian originals, including Pets & Pickers, My Pet Ate What?!, and series like Yellowstone Wardens and Last of the Giants.
- CTV Speed (formerly Discovery Velocity) will feature previous Velocity and Discovery Canada originals Bush Wreck Rescue and Heavy Rescue 401.
“Our newly rebranded suite of specialty channels is bolder, bigger, and better than ever, offering a compelling mix of popular cable hits and fan-favourite Canadian originals,” Stewart Johnston, senior vice president of content and sales of Bell Media, said in a network announcement. “Anchored by the introduction of two top-tier entertainment brands, USA Network and Oxygen True Crime, Bell Media continues to deliver the sought-after content Canadians are looking for.”
The new channels join Bell Media’s suite of English-language specialty offerings, including CTV Sci-Fi, CTV Drama Channel, CTV Comedy Channel, CTV Life Channel, E!, CTV News Channel, CP24, BNN Bloomberg, and Much.
