CTV Television Network

CTV is an English-language television network, serving as Canada's first commercial television network. The network was founded in 1961, broadcasts through 20 own stations that are distributed throughout the country plus two affiliated stations, and is managed by the CTVglobemedia group, specialized in media.

Although there has never been a full name for the acronym CTV, many people interpret it as Canadian Television. This term has been used in multiple promotions of the channel and served as the channel's provisional name in 1961, before the establishment of the station network.

History

Channel beginnings

In 1958, the Prime Minister of Canada, John Diefenbaker, approved a broadcasting law that established the separation of the public radio and television corporation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as a regulator and broadcaster. This allowed some television stations in the most populated cities in the country to separate from CBC, becoming independent television stations. The first was CFCN-TV in Calgary on September 9, 1960, and until 1961 other networks were added in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Edmonton.

Before CTV was created, most networks operated locally under a common group, Independent Television Organization. However, in 1961 a national network was developed thanks to John Bassett, owner of the Toronto station. Bassett had bought the broadcast rights to the Canadian Football League and needed to set up a network of stations to broadcast the games. The networks agreed, and on October 1, 1961, Canadian Television Network (CTN) began broadcasting, its name changed a year later to CTV Television Network. to avoid confusion with CBC.

In the early years, the network's programming was based on series and recorded spaces. The only station that broadcast some programs live was the one in Toronto, and it transported its programs to other affiliated stations through the CBC network, although it later established its own broadcast network. Despite the success of some programs, the The network recorded million-dollar losses due to lack of organization among local stations and its president, Spence Caldwell, left office in 1965.

Development as a network

Without a management team, in 1966 the owners of the affiliated stations asked the authorities for permission to buy the network of stations and transform it into a cooperative. Under his command, CTV unified its image with a common logo for national programming, expanded its broadcasts through affiliated television stations, changed its programming and introduced color broadcasts on September 1 of the same year. They also developed a transfer policy that would allow them to compete with CBC. To establish news services that would compete with public television, CTV acquired the services of the CBC's most famous presenter, Lloyd Robertson, in 1976.

In the mid-1980s the Baton Broadcasting group, owners of the Toronto station, began buying several CTV affiliates and stations in other cities to gain control of the entire group. By controlling the majority of networks, CTV ceased to be a cooperative in 1994 and became a corporation, majority controlled by the Baton group, currently CTVglobemedia. Currently CTV competes for leadership in television audiences with CTV and Global TV. In March 2009, it began broadcasting in high definition.

Programming

CTV broadcasts nationally for all its stations, with an offer based on entertainment and information. Their most successful programs are American series - such as Gossip Girl, CSI, The Mentalist or Two and a Half Men- and Canadian adaptations of international competitions, such as So You Think You Can Dance.

With 22 local stations, each station can also broadcast local programming and advertising. However, the stations respect national broadcast schedules and local spaces are broadcast in specific slots, with greater control over local networks, especially in the cities with the most population in Canada. Since 2005 all stations share a common logo.