 Final logo, 2016-2023 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | French |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Astral Media (1988–2013) BCE Inc. (2013–2023) |
| Parent | Astral Broadcasting Inc. (1988–2013) Bell Media Television (Bell Media) (2013–2023) |
| Sister channels | Noovo Z Canal D Canal Vie Cinépop MTV MTV2 Much |
| History | |
| Launched | September 1, 1988, 36 years ago |
| Replaced | TVJQ (1982–1988) |
| Closed | October 1, 2023, 13 months ago |
| Former names | Canal Famille (1988–2001) Vrak.TV (2001–2014) |
Vrak (stylized as VRΔK) was a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Media. The channel primarily broadcast live-action programming aimed at 13-to-35 age group audiences.
Launched in 1988 as Le Canal Famille,[1] it was originally conceived as French counterpart of the Family Channel under the ownership of Astral Media as well as rival broadcaster YTV, which was also then jointly owned by Rogers Media and CUC Broadcasting at the time. The channel was later renamed to Vrak.TV in 2001 and then was acquired by Bell Media in 2013 upon the acquisition of Astral Media, while the English counterpart and its sister channels were divested to DHX Media (now WildBrain) in 2014.
As with the English counterpart, Vrak.TV's programming heavily mirrored that of the American cable network Disney Channel, with which Family held a licensing agreement. Vrak's programming lineup consisted mainly of domestic and foreign-imported live-action and animated series from Disney Channel, feature films from the Disney film library, classic films from other Canadian and American film studios, and specials while it outsourced many of its programs from the U.S., mostly from Nickelodeon. After Vrak was separated from Family, the license agreement ended in 2015; Disney then entered into a new licensing agreement with Corus Entertainment and launched new Canadian versions of La Chaîne Disney, along with Disney XD and Disney Junior while Vrak.TV, renamed to Vrak in 2014, changed its audience focus in 2016 to the ages 13–35 group due to the success of its Vrak2 block.
Vrak was originally licensed as a premium specialty service, which necessitated that it operate under a commercial-free format, but allowed it to operate multiplex feeds but changed to air commercials from 2006 onwards.
After being removed from Vidéotron, the channel ceased operations on October 1, 2023, due to declining viewership and having been deemed "outdated" by Bell Media.[2]
- ^ "Bell Media to shut down Vrak TV after Videotron ends its distribution | Montreal Gazette".
- ^ "Bell Media axes VRAK, the French-language youth TV channel based in Montreal". CBC News. August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.