YTV (Canadian TV channel) facts for kids
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| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | National |
| Programming | |
| Timeshift service | YTV East G3 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment |
| Parent | YTV Canada, Inc. |
| Sister channels | Nickelodeon Treehouse TV |
| History | |
| Launched | September 1, 1988 |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| StackTV | Internet Protocol television |
YTV is a popular Canadian TV channel that broadcasts in English. It's a special channel made for children and young teenagers. YTV shows its own original live-action and animated series. It also airs movies and shows from other networks, like Nickelodeon in the U.S. Many people used to think YTV stood for "Youth Television," but the channel's website says that's not true!
The channel first started on September 1, 1988. It was launched by two companies: Rogers Media and CUC Broadcasting. Later, in 1995, Shaw Communications bought a part of YTV. By 1998, Shaw owned the whole channel. Then, in 1999, Shaw's media parts became a new company called Corus Entertainment, which owns YTV today.
YTV has two different broadcast times. One is for the Eastern part of Canada, and the other is for the Pacific part. This helps everyone watch shows at the right time. As of 2013, over 11 million homes in Canada can watch YTV.
Contents
YTV's Journey: How It Started
YTV got its license from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1987. This allowed Rogers Cable and CUC Broadcasting to create the channel.
The channel officially began broadcasting on September 1, 1988, at 7:00 p.m. The very first show was a special party to celebrate YTV's launch. It was hosted by the famous comedian John Candy. When it first started, Rogers owned most of the channel (75%), and CUC owned the rest (25%).
In 1995, a company called Shaw Communications bought CUC's share of YTV. Then, in 1998, Shaw bought Rogers' share too, taking full control. In 1999, Shaw's TV and media businesses became a new company called Corus Entertainment. Corus has owned YTV ever since.
On January 11, 2011, YTV launched a high-definition (HD) version of its channel. This means viewers could watch shows in much clearer quality.
What's On YTV: Shows and Blocks
YTV creates many of its own shows. It also has special hosted programming blocks, like The Zone. Over the years, YTV has also bought and worked with the U.S. network Nickelodeon to bring many popular shows to Canada.
Special Show Blocks
YTV organizes its shows into different blocks during the day. These blocks often have their own hosts and unique styles.
Current Show Blocks
- Fam Fun (since 2021): A block for family-friendly entertainment.
- The Zone (since September 2, 1991): This is a very popular block. It features hosts who introduce shows, play games, and interact with viewers.
- The Zone Weekend: A weekend version of The Zone. It is currently hosted by Spencer Litzinger and Alex Wierzbicki.
- Big Fun Movies (since January 2, 2011): This block shows family movies.
Past Show Blocks
YTV has had many different show blocks over the years. Some of these include:
- The Treehouse (1994–1998)
- Bionix (2004–2010): This block showed action, adventure, and superhero cartoons.
- CRUNCH (2006–2013)
- ZAPX Movies (2005–2010)
- Vortex (YTV) (2001–2006)
How YTV Looked Over Time
YTV has changed its look and feel many times since it started.
At first, YTV used cool computer-generated images (CGI) for its channel IDs. These often showed the YTV logo against different sky backgrounds. The channel also used slogans like "The Spirit of Youth" and "Canada's Youth Channel."
In 1993, YTV started using many different on-air logos. These logos often had the YTV text placed on top of random objects. One "official" logo showed the YTV text on a purple TV screen.
By 1998, YTV started using a more "gross-out" style, similar to Nickelodeon, but with less slime. They adopted a new slogan: "Keep It Weird." Their ads often used silly humor to promote the channel.
Around 2006, YTV created a new look for shows after 6:00 p.m. This look was simpler and less "gross." In 2007, this new style was used for the whole channel.
In September 2009, the logo changed slightly with new colors. The short video clips between shows (called bumpers) were replaced with simple on-screen graphics. These graphics told viewers what shows were coming next.
On October 6, 2014, YTV updated its brand again. It got new graphics and bumpers. The channel's logo also changed to face upwards to the left instead of straight ahead.
YTV's Program Hosts
Starting in September 1990, YTV called its program hosts "PJs." This was like how music hosts are called "DJs" or video hosts are called "VJs." While the name "PJ" isn't used as much now, the hosts still play a big role.
Current Program Hosts
- The Zone is currently hosted by Spencer Litzinger, Melony Manikavasagar, and Kelsey Liem.
- Big Fun Movies is hosted by Kelsey Liem.
Past Program Hosts
Many people have hosted shows on YTV over the years. Some well-known past hosts include:
- Carlos Bustamante
- Stephanie "Sugar" Beard
- Phil Guerrero, also known as "PJ Fresh Phil"
- Daryn Jones
- Shaun Majumder, also known as "Ed Brainbin"
- Rob Stefaniuk, also known as "PJ Rob"
- Gordon Michael Woolvett, also known as "Gord the PJ Man"
Other Channels and Businesses from YTV
YTV is part of a larger family of channels and businesses owned by Corus Entertainment.
Sister Channels
- Treehouse TV: This channel is made for very young children, usually from 2 to 5 years old. It started on November 1, 1997. Treehouse TV shows programs without commercials. Its name comes from YTV's old kids' programming block, The Treehouse.
- Nickelodeon: This channel launched on November 2, 2009. It's based on the popular U.S. channel Nickelodeon. It shows both live-action and animated programs for children and younger teenagers, usually aged 7 to 11.
Related Businesses and Projects
- Whoa! Magazine: This was YTV's official magazine. It started in 1999 and featured articles, games, and more. It was available in stores and by subscription. In 2007, it became an e-zine on YTV.com. YTV stopped being involved with the magazine in 2009.
- Big Fun Party Mix: This was a series of music CDs and cassettes. They featured songs from popular artists and tracks from YTV's own music shows like Hit List and The Next Star. Universal Music Canada released 11 of these albums between 2000 and 2009.
- Keep It Weird: This is a YouTube channel. It features cartoons from Nelvana (another company owned by Corus Entertainment), old Nickelodeon shows, YTV promos, and YTV original programs. It started in 2015 and got its current name in 2018.
Where YTV Is Available
YTV is mainly a Canadian channel, but it has also been available in other countries.
- Jamaica: You can watch YTV on Flow Cable systems there.
- Bahamas: YTV used to be available on Cable Bahamas systems (channel 307). However, it was removed in September 2020.
See also
In Spanish: YTV para niños
