The channel was founded as the Canadian version of the American channel Bravo (which is now owned by NBCUniversal) on January 1, 1995 by Moses Znaimer and its owner CHUM Limited, and originally focused on performing arts, drama, and independent film. After the acquisition of CHUM by CTVglobemedia, the channel pivoted away from arts programming, and segued to a general entertainment format with a focus on drama (unlike its American counterpart, which has largely shifted to reality television programming targeting a female audience).
History
In the 1980s, a precursor to Bravo existed called C Channel. The service was boasted as a national commercial-free pay television channel that focused on arts programming. C Channel launched on February 1, 1983, before it went bankrupt and ceased operations five months later on June 30 of that year due to its inability to attract a sufficient number of subscribers at a price of $16 per month.[1]
Bravo logo used from 1995 to 2012
Over 10 years later, another attempt at an arts-based channel was proposed when CHUM Limited applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a license to operate Bravo. In June 1994, CHUM's application for Bravo was approved, citing its nature of service as focusing on "performance and drama programming, as well as documentary and discussion".[2]
Bravo was launched on January 1, 1995, licensing the name from Rainbow Media, who partnered with CHUM to launch MuchMusic USA (later known as Fuse TV).
Sale to CTVglobemedia/Bell Media
Bravo HD logo used from 2011 to 2012.
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later called CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated CAD$1.7 billion, included in the sale was Bravo[3] The sale was approved by the CRTC on June 8, 2007,[4] and the transaction was completed on June 22, 2007 while the Citytv stations were sold to Rogers Media. After CTVglobemedia's purchase of Bravo, the channel increasingly shifted its focus toward more television and film dramas (such as Criminal Minds), and lessened its focus on arts programming.
On September 10, 2010, BCE Inc. (a minority shareholder in CTVglobemedia) announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of $3.2 billion.[5] The deal was approved by the CRTC on March 7, 2011,[6] and was finalized on April 1 of that year, on which CTVglobemedia was rebranded Bell Media.[7] a high definition simulcast feed of Bravo, which broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format, was launched later that year on October 6, 2011.
Bravo's final on air logo, used from 2012 to 2019.
While under Bell Media ownership, Bravo unveiled a new on-air logo and new on-air presentation in 2012 as part of an extensive network rebranding.[citation needed]
On June 6, 2013, Bell announced that Bravo would become the company's first network to implement a TV Everywhere service, which would allow subscribers of participating television service providers that carry Bravo to stream video on demand content as well as a live feed of the Bravo channel via the Bravo Go app.[8]
On June 7, 2018, it was announced that Bravo would be re-branded as "CTV Drama", as part of a re-branding of several Bell Media specialty channels under the CTV name.[9] The following year, it was revealed the channel would rebrand as CTV Drama Channel on September 12, 2019. Bell also announced a commitment to order 20 made-for-TV film adaptations of Harlequin novels from Harlequin Studios, which would air on CTV Drama Channel and Vrak.[10]
In June 2024, Rogers announced a licensing agreement with Comcast subsidiary NBCUniversal to relaunch the Bravo brand in Canada in September of that year.[11] On August 28, 2024, Rogers confirmed that OLN would relaunch as Bravo on September 1.[12][13][14]
Since the retirement of CRTC's genre protection rules in 2015 outside of news and sports, CTV Drama Channel, by that point, currently airs a mix of programming from U.S. cable and broadcast networks, as well as repeats of Canadian-produced shows to fulfill Canadian content quotas.
2Also available as part of an OTT multichannel service.
3Also available via TV Everywhere.
4Also available as a add-on.
5Channel available on TV Everywhere through the indicated platform; programming also available as part of that platform's SVOD service. Programming for most traditional TV channels listed here also available through provider-specific VOD sites/apps for TV service subscribers.
