Super Écran
 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Montreal,Quebec |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | French |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480ifor theSDTVfeed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bell Media |
| Sister channels | Crave HBO Starz Cinépop |
| History | |
| Launched | February 1, 1983 |
| Former names | Premier Choix Premier Choix: TVEC |
| Links | |
| Website | crave.ca/en/super-ecran |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Crave | Over-the-top TV |
Super Écranis aCanadianpremium television networkowned byBell Media.It airs a mix of commercial-free films and television series. Films are primarily sourced from the United States and Canada, while the television series mostly consist of original series and programs fromHBOandShowtimein the United States.
History
[edit]Launched on February 1, 1983 under the namePremier Choix,the channel was licensed by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission(CRTC) to provide a national 24-hour-a-dayFrench-languagepay television network. It was owned and operated byFirst Choice Canadian Communications.[1]
Premier Choix had a difficult time attracting enough subscribers, as did a regional Quebec-based pay-television network called TVEC which was licensed in November 1982.Rogers Cablein Toronto couldn't add the channel until September 1983, and Videon Cable in Winnipeg didn't have the additional channel capacity to add it until its dispute withManitoba Telecom Services(MTS) over ownership of the cable plant was settled.
In the early years, beforeRéseau des sportsandMusiquePluswere licensed, programming consisted of 70% movies and 30% sports.
TVEC(Télévision de l'Est du Canada Inc.) was licensed in November 1982 as a regional French-language pay-TV channel fromQuebec,serving Quebec,eastern Ontario,andAtlantic Canada(New Brunswick).
In February 1984 these two channels combined to form Super Écran.[2][3]
In the late 1980s,Premier Choix: TVECwas awarded licenses for three additional specialty services, includingCanal DandLe Canal Famille.
The network was granted authorization for national distribution across Canada in 1996.[4]
On October 30, 2006, Astral Media launched anHDsimulcast of Super Écran. Later, Astral launched HD feeds for all three remaining channels.
On March 4, 2013, theCompetition Bureauapproved the takeover of Astral Media byBell Media.[5]Bell filed a new application for the proposed takeover with the CRTC on March 6, 2013;[6]the CRTC approved the merger on June 27, 2013.[7]
On January 21, 2020, Bell announced that it would expand its subscription streaming serviceCraveinto the French-language market on January 28, adding a selection of French-language content for all subscribers, as well as a premium Super Écran tier (equivalent to the "Crave + Movies + HBO" tier tied to Crave'sEnglish-language linear service,formerly known as The Movie Network). With the changes, the Super Écran Go apps were discontinued, with subscribers being directed to the Crave app forTV Everywherevideo on-demand access. This is not currently available toVidéotronsubscribers, as they have not yet reached a carriage agreement to allow use of the Crave app.[8][9][10]
Multiplexes and programming
[edit]Super Écran offers an extensive variety ofHollywoodand Canadian movies, television series from HBO, Showtime and others distributors, and original content. Super Écran operates four multiplex channels, numbered from 1 to 4 instandardandhigh-definition.Avideo on demandservice, "Super Écran Sur Demande", was offered fordigital cableand satellite subscribers, and "Super Écran Go", a TV Everywhere platform for mobile and TV streaming set-top box, both featuring programming from the Super Écran channels. Go ceased operations on January 28, 2020, with their programming moving to the Crave platform whileSur Demandewas only removed forVideotronSubscribers.
International distribution
[edit]- Saint Pierre and Miquelon- distributed on SPM Telecom systems.
References
[edit]- ^"Here Comes Pay-TV".TV Guide.January 15, 1983.
- ^"New pay-Tv channel launched". Winnipeg Free Press. February 2, 1984.
- ^CRTC Decision 84-32
- ^CRTC Decision 97-18
- ^BCE takeover of Astral OK’d by Competition Bureau,The Montreal Gazette(viaThe Canadian Press), March 4, 2013.
- ^Astral and Bell Comment on New Acquisition Application to CRTC,Broadcaster Magazine,March 6, 2013.
- ^CRTC approves Bell-Astral merger,CBC News,June 27, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^"Bell's streaming service Crave is about to be bilingual".MobileSyrup.2020-01-21.Retrieved2020-01-22.
- ^"Bell lance son service Crave en français".Le Devoir(in French).Retrieved2020-01-22.
- ^"Crave en français: Vidéotron décrie un geste" anticoncurrentiel "de Bell".La Presse(in French). 2020-01-21.Retrieved2020-01-22.
External links
[edit]- Official website(in French)