DTour (styled as DTOUR ) is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by TVTropolis G.P., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment .
54-500: The channel was originally established by Canwest in 1997 as Prime , a cable companion to Global with a general entertainment format focusing on classic series and programming acquired from Global and CH . In 2006, the channel was re-branded as TVTropolis , carrying a similar format but with a focus on contemporary sitcoms and dramas from the 1980s and 1990s, as well as pop culture-themed programs. Adopting its current branding in 2013, DTour largely draws its acquired programming from
108-425: A "new" lifestyle channel named DTour (stylized as DTOUR ). It was later confirmed through a Telus update to subscribers that DTour would be launched as a rebranded TVtropolis on August 26, 2013. The relaunch of the channel occurred that day at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A high definition feed of DTour was introduced on Shaw Cable on September 5, 2013. Following the rebrand, DejaView would begin airing some of
162-473: A deal to buy out the Canadian partners of NetStar Communications , owner of TSN , but was stymied by U.S. partner ESPN , which had veto power over such a sale. ESPN instead came to terms with Canwest's main rival CTV , a longtime business partner of ESPN's parent company Disney , as an acceptable buyer, which the selling partners eventually agreed to. In an effort to get into the entertainment business,
216-564: A major media powerhouse by acquiring media properties such as Western International Communications and the Southam newspaper publishing. In 2007, with Goldman Sachs , Canwest acquired the broadcasting arm of Alliance Atlantis . After years of debt, Canwest began to slowly collapse in 2008, amid the Great Recession and later entered bankruptcy protection in late 2009, which led to the sales of its publishing and broadcasting arms
270-492: A result, Shaw acquired control of Canwest's stake in TVtropolis and rebranded Canwest as Shaw Media . On January 14, 2013, Shaw announced that it would purchase the remaining interest in TVtropolis from Rogers Communications for $ 59 million, bringing its total to 100%. On June 5, 2013, at its annual upfront , Shaw conspicuously removed any reference to TVtropolis in announcing its fall programming plans, while announcing
324-510: A specialty television service directed towards men and women 50 years of age and older. However, the channel did not explicitly market itself as a channel for the " baby boomer " generation, preferring instead to position itself as a general entertainment channel. Prime's slogan, on-air and in advertising, was "Canada's Entertainment Network". Prime's schedule featured a mix of general interest television programs, including home improvement and design series, along with classic television series. With
378-539: Is licensed from its American namesake, Magnolia Network . The channel is a joint venture between HGTV Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment (80.24% and managing partner) and Warner Bros. Discovery (who owns the remaining 19.76%). The channel first launched on October 19, 2009 as DIY Network , a Canadian version of the U.S. network of the same name, by Canwest and Goldman Sachs , and Scripps Networks Interactive . The channel adopted its current name following its American counterpart in 2022. Corus will lose
432-621: Is seeking to undo these changes, and has also claimed that CanWest's creditors should return the C$ 426 million they received from Canwest balance sheet in September, after CanWest sold its stake in Ten. On October 6, the company voluntarily filed for creditor protection under the CCAA , due to C$ 4 billion mounting debt across radio, television broadcasting and publishing assets in several countries. At
486-675: The Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act before finally being dissolved on May 27, 2013. As of April 2009 (prior to seeking creditor protection), Canwest owned, in whole or part, a variety of Canadian media assets, including: The company had previously sold off some of the smaller newspapers it had acquired in the Southam purchase. Canwest also previously owned broadcasting operations in Australia (as majority shareholder of Network Ten ), New Zealand (through CanWest MediaWorks New Zealand ),
540-591: The Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act , Canwest, by this point known as 2737469 Canada, Inc. , finally dissolved on May 27, 2013. Asper, through his Syngus Corp. holding company, went on to establish Anthem Media Group in 2010 and has since grew into the portfolio through the ownership of Impact Wrestling , AXS TV , Fight Network and GameTV . In April 2016, the Shaw Media assets were subsumed by Shaw's sister company Corus Entertainment . The last members of
594-500: The Companies' Creditors Arrangements Act . Canwest Limited Partnership, a subsidiary that owns the company's other newspaper assets and online properties, is negotiating separately with creditors and is expected to file for creditor protection at a later date. Specialty channels operated in partnership with other companies (such as TVtropolis , Mystery TV , MenTV , and the former Alliance Atlantis properties) are also not included in
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#1732782729329648-464: The Republic of Ireland (as a minority shareholder of TV3 ) and Turkey (as the owners of four radio stations). In 1974, a group led by Israel Asper bought the assets of Pembina, North Dakota television station KCND-TV from broadcaster Gordon McLendon , moving the station to Winnipeg as an independent station CKND-TV . Asper, through his company, Canwest, eventually bought out his partners in
702-1026: The board of directors of the company were Derek Burney , David Drybrough, David Kerr, Leonard Asper , Izzy Asper , Lisa Pankratz, Frank McKenna , David Asper , and Gail Asper . Gail Asper, David Asper, and Lisa Pankratz resigned from the board, and from all other director and officer positions within Canwest and its subsidiaries, on February 10, 2010. Since the 2000 acquisition of the major former Canadian newspaper holdings of Conrad Black 's Hollinger International (now Sun-Times Media Group ), including Canwest News Service , opposition has been expressed by some journalists, union spokespersons, politicians, and pundits about Canwest's enforcement of its corporate editorial positions. A 2001 decision to run regular uniform national editorials in all metropolitan dailies (except National Post ), whereby local editorial boards could not take local positions on subjects of national editorials, ignited major national controversy and
756-417: The 1990s vintage series that had aired on TVtropolis. DTour's initial lineup featured programming from Travel Channel in the U.S. (including Adam Richman's Fandemonium , Hotel Impossible and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern ). Travel Channel was owned by Scripps Networks Interactive , which at the time jointly owned the Canadian versions of Food Network , HGTV and DIY Network with Shaw. DTour
810-557: The 1990s, Global (and its antecedents) held Canadian rights to hit U.S. series such as Cheers , Friends , and Frasier . Canwest also bought broadcasting assets internationally, including outlets in New Zealand , the Republic of Ireland , and Australia , although all were eventually sold off. In 1991, Canwest issued a successful initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In June 1996, Canwest
864-571: The Asper family, with a total of 2.3% of the "new" Canwest. However, the Aspers are expected to invest a further C$ 15 million in the restructured entity. In January 2010, CanWest's bonds commanded about 70 cents on the dollar. CanWest's bonds at one point traded for as little as 15 cents on the dollar. Several sources say that as CanWest notes increased fivefold in price, distressed-debt funds took profits on part of their position, with Angelo Gordon among
918-547: The Australian TV network, raising the total value Canwest can erase from its overall debt to more than C$ 1.2-billion. Before the Ten deal, Canwest held about C$ 3.8-billion of debt on its balance sheet. In court documents, Goldman Sachs alleges "fraudulent" and "abusive" changes to the internal operation of Canwest in the days before it filed for creditor protection. As part of the filing, the Wall Street investment bank
972-485: The CRTC's approval, the channel was described as a "service designed for the do-it-yourselfer of all levels... entirely devoted to programs that offer Canadians an interactive television experience that provides immediate access to detailed step by step instructions, in-depth demonstrations, and tips for do-it-yourself projects." The channel, however, was never launched and its licence expired. Alliance Atlantis re-applied for
1026-891: The Settlement Agreement, received the approval of the Ontario Superior Court on June 23, 2010, the Competition Bureau as of August 13, 2010, and was given final approval from the CRTC on October 22, 2010, with Canwest delisting itself from the TSX and officially ceasing operations that same month. Final closing would officially occur in October 2011 following the official CMI Transition Order. Meanwhile, Shaw Communications reorganized Canwest into Shaw Media . After bankruptcy proceedings concluded under
1080-467: The Shaw deal and were already sold separately to Postmedia Network . However, the Asper family with Goldman and Catalyst made their own bid to retake Canwest with a $ 120 million bid in competition with the bid proposed by Shaw Communications. On February 25, 2010, it was announced that Shaw Communications had won a court battle to continue their plans to purchase assets & voting shares from Canwest. After
1134-444: The U.S.-based Travel Channel , while also airing limited general-interest programing, and will not be impacted by Corus losing the rights to most Warner Bros. Discovery lifestyle and factual brands to Rogers Sports & Media at the end of 2024. The channel was launched as Prime on October 17, 1997, under the ownership of Canwest . The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licensed Prime in 1996 as
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#17327827293291188-620: The Winnipeg station. A few months later, the Asper group joined a consortium that bought CKGN-TV, a network of six simulcasting transmitters across Ontario that carried many of CKND's programs and was known on-air as the Global Television Network . Canwest bought controlling interest in Global, now using the callsign CIII-TV , in 1985, thus becoming the first western-based owner of a major Canadian broadcaster. He acquired
1242-400: The announcement, Shaw revealed that its investment amounted to a minimum of $ 95-million in exchange for 20 percent of the equity and an 80 percent voting interest in the restructured company. Although Goldman, Catalyst, and the Aspers continued to work on their own bid after the Shaw agreement, Shaw announced a revised agreement, following court-ordered mediation, under which it would purchase
1296-467: The buyers. On February 3, 2010, it was reported that a group led by Golden Tree Asset Management LP complained that "it was unfairly frozen out of the auction of Canwest Limited Partnership." As part of the transaction, Canwest and some of its subsidiaries, including Canwest Media Inc., The National Post Company , and Canwest Television LP (the licensee of Global, MovieTime , DejaView , and Fox Sports World Canada ) filed for creditor protection under
1350-423: The channel and was approved on October 21, 2005 with an almost identical nature of service description as the original licence granted in 2000. On January 18, 2008, a joint venture between Canwest and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners known as CW Media bought Alliance Atlantis's specialty networks, including the licence for the yet unlaunched D.I.Y. Television. In late 2009, Canwest announced that it would launch
1404-642: The channel has aired vintage and classic television shows, animated series, reality series, game shows, and other general entertainment programming. Canwest Canwest Global Communications Corporation , which operated under the corporate name Canwest , was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg , Manitoba , with its head offices at Canwest Place (Now called 201 Portage). It held radio , television broadcasting, and publishing assets in several countries, primarily in Canada. Canwest
1458-456: The channel on October 19, 2009 in standard definition , as DIY Network, a Canadian version of the U.S. channel of the same name . On many television service providers, DIY Network replaced Fine Living , which ceased operations the same day. Corus Entertainment initially owned a 12% stake at the channel's launch, but then it later sold its stake to CW Media in February 2010. Programming on
1512-648: The channel was primarily devoted to do it yourself home improvement projects, with the majority of programming consisting of reruns from its sister network, HGTV Canada and licensed programs from the American DIY Network. On October 27, 2010, Shaw Communications gained control of DIY Network as a result of its acquisition of Canwest and Goldman Sachs' interest in CW Media. A high definition simulcast launched in February 2016. Corus acquired Shaw Media on April 1 of that year. On March 1, 2022, it
1566-405: The combined company had duplicate over-the-air coverage through multiple stations. Later that year, Canwest announced its acquisition of the Southam newspaper chain from Conrad Black , in order to pursue a media convergence strategy. Canwest was initially slow to invest in specialty channels due to the strength of its terrestrial network. In 1999, seeking to change this, the company announced
1620-575: The company had bought out producer/distributor Fireworks Entertainment in 1998, and gained interest in Seven Arts Pictures , a film production company. CanWest would sell its entertainment unit in 2005. In 2005, CanWest released a new website canada.com which was a digital media platform for its digitally transformed brands. These included many local news outlets and larger "papers" as well as other media brands. The brands were represented under "canada.com Network" and included (taken from
1674-627: The company's debt was not manageable during the Great Recession , forcing Canwest into an extended set of negotiations with its lenders and a series of cost-cutting moves. The company's income statements reported net losses in 2008 and 2009, even though its operating activities were profitable (before taxes, interest, and non-operating charges: C$ 197 million in 2009, vs. C$ 428 million in 2008). In May 2009, Canwest sold off four radio stations in Turkey to Spectrum Medya. On August 31, 2009, Canwest shut down its secondary system E! (the former CH). Three of
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1728-469: The current rules for the poor financial condition of Canada's broadcast television stations, a position which has subsequently been adopted and addressed through rule changes by the CRTC and FCC. Canwest's various acquisitions took a significant financial toll. As early as 2002, most of Canwest's operating income was going to pay interest on its high-interest-rate debt. By 2007, the company's bonds were downgraded to junk status. By early 2009, it became clear
1782-538: The entirety of Canwest's broadcasting operations, including the portion owned by Goldman. This deal was later modified following a second court-ordered mediation to include a settlement agreement between Shaw, creditors, and the Official Ad Hoc Committee of Shareholders, led by the Aspers, Blott Asset Management, L.L.C. and two other hedge funds. This marked the first successful equity committee campaign in Canada under CCAA. A modified deal, including
1836-479: The following year to Postmedia Network , founded by National Post CEO Paul Godfrey and Shaw Communications , which later reorganized its media division as Shaw Media . On April 1, 2016, the broadcasting assets were subsumed into Corus Entertainment , an existing broadcasting firm also owned by the Shaw family. Following the sale of assets, the company was renamed 2737469 Canada Inc. , ceased to carry on business, and commenced bankruptcy proceedings under
1890-623: The former E! owned-and-operated stations – CHCH Hamilton , CHEK Victoria , and CJNT Montreal – were sold to third parties, while a fourth, CHBC Kelowna , was converted to a Global station. The remaining station, CHCA Red Deer , was closed as of the same date. On September 24, the company announced that it would sell its 50.1% stake in Ten Network Holdings for A$ 680 million, in order to pay down its significant debt. The sale of CanWest's Australian media operations reduced some C$ 582-million in debt tied to
1944-422: The launch of sibling channel DejaView in 2001, (showing similar programming to Prime, that being classic television programs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s), the channel's focus shifted to shows from the late 1980s and beyond. On June 1, 2006, Prime was rebranded as TVTropolis , which initially focused on sitcoms and dramas from the 1980s and 1990s (such as Seinfeld and Beverly Hills 90210 , branded under
1998-499: The original Corus-operated channel would be "discontinued by the channel provider" at midnight Eastern time on December 31. As of November 19 , Corus has yet to directly confirm this plan. The network carries a similar array of programming to Magnolia Network in the United States, with a focus on personality-based series relating to home renovation, restoration, and construction. Reruns of original library programming from HGTV
2052-480: The present filing. Canwest shares were also suspended from trading on the TSX . Canwest said that it was not being liquidated at this point, and the company insisted that the proceedings would make Canwest "a stronger industry competitor with a renewed financial outlook." Nevertheless, some analysts expected that the conglomerate would sell assets or be broken up entirely as the restructuring process continues, noting that
2106-536: The publishing division has a separate set of lenders. As it turned out, the company would indeed be broken up. In February 2010, the company announced an agreement with Shaw Communications whereby the latter company would buy an 80% voting interest, and 20% equity interest, in the restructured entity, pending approvals from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and others. The company's newspapers were not part of
2160-421: The remaining pieces of AAC, the distribution arm soon re-emerging as Alliance Films . Canwest executives testified in the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission hearings over fee-for-carriage , requesting that the commission force cable and satellite companies to pay for their signals without passing the fees on to their subscribers. In his testimony, Canwest president Leonard Asper blamed
2214-838: The remaining stock in 1989. Canwest subsequently invested in or acquired other independent TV stations across Canada. Eventually, his station group became known as the "Canwest Global System." In 1997, Canwest bought a controlling interest in CKMI-TV , the privately owned CBC affiliate in Quebec City . Canwest then set up CKMI rebroadcasters in Montreal and Sherbrooke . With this move, Canwest's stations now had enough coverage of Canada that on August 18—the day CKMI officially disaffiliated from CBC—Canwest scrubbed all local brands from its stations, rebranding them as "The Global Television Network," Canada's third television network. Throughout
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2268-553: The rights to all Warner Bros. Discovery factual and lifestyle television brands beginning January 1, 2025, including Magnolia Network. Rogers stated that it will relaunch Magnolia Network as a new discretionary service on that date. While Corus announced plans to relaunch parent network HGTV as Home Network on December 30, 2024, it did not announce any similar plans for the channel licence used by Magnolia. In November 2024, Saskatchewan telecommunications providers SaskTel and Access Communications indicated on their websites that
2322-461: The rights to most Warner Bros. Discovery lifestyle and factual brands to Rogers Sports & Media at the end of 2024, DTour will not be affected by these changes. DTour currently airs a mix of travel, lifestyle, and paranormal programming; much of which is sourced from the Warner Bros. Discovery -owned Travel Channel and Destination America channels in the U.S.. As Prime and TVTropolis,
2376-551: The rights to the Magnolia Network brand and its U.S. programming at midnight Eastern time on December 31, 2024, at which point the original Corus operated channel is expected to cease operations. A new version operated by Rogers Sports & Media will launch immediately thereafter. Alliance Atlantis was granted approval for the channel under the name D.I.Y. Television by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on November 24, 2000. Under
2430-442: The same time it announced it had agreed to a recapitalization transaction with some of its lenders, which will likely require the approval of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). When completed, bondholders – led by hedge funds West Face Capital, GoldenTree Asset Management , and Beach Point Capital Management – will own a majority of shares, leaving existing shareholders, including
2484-579: The slogan Hit TV Lives Here ). Additional series focused on television pop culture (such as Inside the Box and FANatical ). Over time, the channel lessened its emphasis on scripted shows and reverted to a general entertainment format; focusing on reality series, game shows (including original series Wipeout Canada ), and lifestyle series with little emphasis on pop culture. On October 27, 2010, Shaw Communications purchased Canwest after it had entered into creditor bankruptcy protection in late 2009. As
2538-575: The website footer): Newspapers : National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, The Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Regina Leader Post, The Saskatoon Star Phoenix, The Vancouver Sun, The Vancouver Province, Victoria Times Colonist, The Windsor Star, Dose, Vancouver Island Newspaper, VANNEET Newspaper; Television : Global, CH, Prime TV, Fox Sports World Canada, Lonestar, Mystery, Xtreme Sports, Deje View, mentv, Cool TV; Radio : CoolFM 99.1, 91.5 The Beat; Marketplace : working.com, driving.ca, connecting, celebrating, remembering, homes. The website experience
2592-439: Was already one of the largest owners of Canadian local TV stations when Canwest and Goldman Sachs in 2007 announced they would jointly acquire Canadian producer and competing broadcaster Alliance Atlantis and its massive stable of wide-distribution specialty channels. Under the deal, Canwest took control of the broadcasting portion of AAC, although Goldman Sachs remained a major investor in those assets. Goldman retained or resold
2646-467: Was announced that DIY Network would relaunch as a Canadian version of Magnolia Network—the current incarnation of the channel's American counterpart, on March 28, 2022. As in the U.S. prior to its own linear launch in January 2022, Magnolia Network content was available via Discovery+ upon its Canadian launch in October 2021 (which was backed by Corus). In June 2024, Rogers announced it had acquired
2700-830: Was centred around news, city guides, activities and events to leverage advertising revenue. The site was designed by Cossette / Fjord out of Toronto, Canada in 2005. In October 2005, CanWest's Canadian newspapers were sold into an IPO trust. Sold 25.8% of Canada's newspapers for C$ 550 million. Attached to the Canadian newspaper IPO was $ 850 million in long-term debt. CanWest bought back the 25.8% Newspaper Trust IPO (and debt) in November 2008, for cash considerations of $ 495 million. In April 2006, Canwest acquired four radio stations in Turkey : Super FM, Metro FM, Joy FM and Joy Turk FM from The Turkish Savings and Deposit Insurance Fund for aggregate cash consideration of US$ 61 million. The company
2754-584: Was founded in 1974 by Izzy Asper through the formation of CIII-TV in Toronto under the Global Television Network . The company expanded through the 1980s and 1990s, with the initial public offering in 1991 as a publicly-traded corporation and the international expansion of its operations in Ireland , Australia , New Zealand , United Kingdom and Turkey . Throughout the years, under Leonard Asper , who became its President and CEO in 1999, Canwest grew into
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#17327827293292808-603: Was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Lacking a presence in Alberta , the company set its sights on Western International Communications , which owned three independent stations in that province that carried Global programming. It eventually bought that company's broadcasting assets in 2000. This not only boosted Global's coverage in western Canada but prompted the establishment of a second over-the-air service, originally known as CH , since in some areas
2862-435: Was not explicitly marketed as a "travel" service, as it would have conflicted with rival service Travel + Escape (now T+E ); which had sole use of the travel niche at the time under the CRTC's channel categorization rules. Those rules have since been revoked, with T+E subsequently abandoning the travel genre in favor of paranormal programming . On April 1, 2016, Shaw Media was sold to Corus Entertainment . With Corus losing
2916-409: Was subsequently withdrawn. Conflict over Canwest editorial control and policy has focused in particular on three issues: Magnolia Network (Canadian TV channel) Magnolia Network is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel that broadcasts lifestyle programming related to home design, renovations , and food. The channel's brand and much of its foreign programming
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