The channel was launched in 2001 as SexTV: The Channel under the ownership of CHUM Limited named after the program of the same name aired on Citytv. The channel was acquired in 2006 when Bell Globemedia acquired the assets of CHUM which was completed in 2007 while the Citytv stations were sold to Rogers Media. Corus acquired the channel in 2010 and relaunched it as W Movies, a spin-off of W Network focused on films targeting women. On December 12, 2016, the channel relaunched as a Canadian version of Cooking Channel; following the relaunch, Scripps Networks Interactive took a minority interest in the channel.
Corus will lose the rights to the Cooking Channel brand and its U.S. programming on December 31, 2024, at which point the channel is expected to cease operations. Rogers Sports & Media will take over the Canadian rights to Cooking Channel programming, primarily distributing it through its streaming and on-demand platforms beginning January 1, 2025.
SexTV: The Channel
In June 2001, CHUM Limited received approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a national Category 2 specialty channel known as Relationship Television, a channel described as being "devoted exclusively to programming related to love, romance, marriage, relationship-themed game shows, sexuality and gender issues, family planning, relationship breakdown and magazine style programming featuring romantic vacation resorts."[1]
SexTV: The Channel logo (2001-2010)
The channel was launched three months later on September 7, 2001 as SexTV: The Channel,[2] a channel modeled after and its name derived from SexTV, a now-former program on Citytv (which was a CHUM-owned property at the time). SexTV aired programming on sex and human sexuality, including issues on love, dating, romance and related subjects.
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated CAD$1.7 billion.[3] Due to CTV planning to retain the Citytv network, SexTV: The Channel was among the channels along with A-Channel, Access, CKX-TV Brandon and CLT to be sold to Rogers Communications on April 9, 2007, awaiting the final approval. The sale was approved by the CRTC on June 8, 2007, on the condition that CTV must divest the Citytv stations, effectively cancelling the sale of SexTV: The Channel to Rogers and the transaction was completed on June 22, 2007 while the Citytv stations were sold to Rogers later that year.[4]
Corus ownership
W Movies
W Movies logo (2010-2016)
On July 14, 2009, CTVglobemedia announced that it would sell Sex TV, along with Drive-In Classics (then Sundance Channel, now defunct), to Corus Entertainment for a combined CAD$40 million.[5] In late September, Corus announced that the channel would be rebranded as W Movies, a spin-off of W Network with a focus on films targeting women.[6] The sale was approved by the CRTC on November 19,[7] with the transaction being completed by December. The on-air relaunch as W Movies took place on March 1, 2010.
On December 2, 2011, W Movies launched a high definition feed. It is currently available through all major television providers in the country.
Relaunch as the Cooking Channel
After the CRTC relaxed genre protection rules in 2015, Corus announced on October 19, 2016 that W Movies would be relaunched as a Canadian version of Cooking Channel on December 12, 2016. The network served as a spin-off of Corus's Canadian version of Food Network, and came shortly after Bell Media's re-launch of Gusto, which competes directly against Food Network.[8]Scripps Networks Interactive subsequently acquired a 19.8% interest in the channel.[9]
In June 2024, Rogers announced it had acquired the rights to all Warner Bros. Discovery factual and lifestyle television brands beginning January 1, 2025, including Food Network and Cooking Channel.[10] Rogers stated that the Cooking Channel brand will operate as a digital platform on Citytv+.[11] While Corus announced plans to relaunch Food Network as Flavour Network on December 30, 2024,[12][13] Corus has not yet announced specific plans for the Cooking Channel license, although TV providers Hay Communications and SaskTel have stated that the channel will be shutting down effective December 31, 2024.[14][15]
Cooking Channel primarily airs programming similar to Food Network, albeit with a larger emphasis on instruction- and personality-based programming over reality and competition-style series.
As SexTV: The Channel, the network aired programming devoted to human sexuality including issues on love, dating, romance and related subjects. Past programs on the network included Sex Wars: Gender in the Age of Representation, Beyond Carnival: Sex in Brazil, and Sexploration.
^"Corus Entertainment shareholders report (Q3 2017)"(PDF). Corus Entertainment. Archived from the original(PDF) on July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017. On December 12, 2016, the Company sold a 19.8% interest in 7202377 Canada Inc. (the "Cooking Channel"), a subsidiary, to Scripps Network LLC for $7,500, the fair value at the date of the sale. Cash proceeds of $5,250 were received upon closing. Control of this subsidiary did not change, therefore a business combination did not occur
Some of the assets listed above are majority-owned, wholly-owned, by Corus Entertainment, or are under license. Refer to full asset list for detailed information.
