Cooking Channel (Canadian TV channel)


Cooking Channel is a Canadian English language specialty channel and a localized version of the American channel of the same name that is owned by Corus Entertainment and Discovery, Inc. Dedicated to programming related to food and cooking, its branding is licensed from Discovery Inc., which holds a minority ownership, and is also a partner on sister channel Food Network.
The channel previously operated as SexTV: The Channel, and W Movies.

History

As SexTV: The Channel

In June 2001, CHUM Limited received approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission 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."
The channel was launched three months later on September 7, 2001 as SexTV: The Channel, a channel modeled after and its name derived from SexTV, a now-former program on Citytv. SexTV aired programming on sex and human sexuality, including issues on love, dating, romance and related subjects.
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated CAD$1.7 billion, included in the sale was SexTV: The Channel. The sale was approved by the CRTC on June 8, 2007, and the transaction was completed on June 22, 2007.

As W Movies

On July 14, 2009, CTVglobemedia announced that it would sell Sex TV, along with Drive-In Classics, to Corus Entertainment for a combined CAD$40 million. 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. The sale was approved by the CRTC on November 19, 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.

As Cooking Channel

On October 19, 2016, Corus announced that a Canadian version of Cooking Channel—a spin-off of its Canadian version of Food Network, would launch on December 12, 2016, replacing W Movies. Its launch came several months after Bell Media's re-launch of Gusto, which competes directly against Food Network. Scripps Networks Interactive subsequently acquired a 19.8% interest in the channel.