Discovery Health (Canada)
Encyclopedia
Twist TV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel
Specialty channel
A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic....

 owned by Shaw Media
Shaw Media
Shaw Media is the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. Shaw Media owns the Global Television Network, which broadcasts via 11 television stations, as well as various specialty channels including HGTV Canada, Showcase, Food Network Canada, and History Television.Despite also...

. Twist TV is a reality channel aimed primarily at women with programming featuring what the channel calls "people facing extraordinary situations", meaning the channel primarily features situational and documentary style reality programs as opposed to competition-based reality programs.

Noted programs

  • Back on Campus
  • Dad Camp
    Dad Camp
    Dad Camp is a reality TV show on the cable network VH1. The show, created by Michael Krupat and Chris Wylde, documents six pregnant couples as they undergo boot camp style group therapy, to help motivate the men to take up the responsibility of fatherhood...

  • Daddy's Spoiled Little Girl
  • Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
    Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
    Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...

  • Little Miss Perfect
  • Nanny 911
    Nanny 911
    Nanny 911 is a reality television show in the United States, which originally aired on FOX ....

  • Raising Sextuplets
    Raising Sextuplets
    Raising Sextuplets is a reality television show produced in the United States by Eric Schiff Productions about the Masche family, consisting of parents Bryan and Jenny Masche and their sextuplets. The show airs on WE tv. The family originally appeared in a one-hour special titled OMG! Sextuplets!...

  • Supernanny
    Supernanny
    Supernanny is a reality TV programme which originated in the United Kingdom about parents struggling with their children's behaviour. The UK version has aired on Channel 4 with E4 showing repeats since 2004. The program returned in 2010...

  • Til Debt Do Us Part
    Til Debt Do Us Part
    Til Debt Do Us Part is a Canadian television series produced by Frantic Films for Slice in Canada, Zone Reality in the United Kingdom and AmericanLife TV Network and CNBC in the USA. It is hosted by Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who each week visits a couple who are in debt and having relationship troubles...

  • The Great American Road Trip
    The Great American Road Trip
    Great American Road Trip is a reality television competition series that aired on NBC. It follows seven families as they go on a road trip and compete against each other at different landmarks in and around U.S. Route 66 in the United States. The series is hosted by comedian Reno Collier.The show...

  • World's Strictest Parents
  • Mario Lopez: Saved By the Baby
    Mario Lopez: Saved By the Baby
    Mario Lopez: Saved By the Baby was a reality series on VH1 about Mario Lopez and his girlfriend Courtney Mazza preparing for the arrival of a baby.-Season 1: 2010-2011:...

  • Find My Family
    Find My Family
    Find My Family is an Australian television documentary series airing on the Seven Network, the first two seasons were narrated and presented by actor Jack Thompson...

  • Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum
    Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum
    Young Dumb and Living Off Mum is an entertainment/reality series airing on BBC Three. The series follows a group of young adults who have been waited on hand and foot their whole lives. The series sees them living together in a house and fending for themselves...


  • Note: series list is current as of April 2011.

History

In January 2000, Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. was a Toronto-based media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon and Sydney.Alliance Atlantis was acquired by Canwest...

 brokered a deal with News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...

 and several Canadian television providers, including both national satellite companies Bell ExpressVu and Star Choice, to distribute News Corporations's cable channel, The Health Network, in Canada. The deal would mark the first time The Health Network would be available in Canada.

The deal struck to sponsor The Health Networks distribution in Canada was a prelude to the fact that Alliance Atlantis and News Corporation would eventually launch a Canadian version of the channel for the domestic market and remove the American channel from the Canadian market.
On November 24, 2000, Alliance Atlantis (80%) and News Corporation (20%) were granted a broadcasting licence for The Health Network Canada by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

In September 2001 before the launch of The Health Network Canada, Discovery Communications, owners of Discovery Health Channel in the US, bought The Health Network from News Corporation for $255 million USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

. Through that transaction, Discovery Communications would also acquire News Corporation's 20% interest in The Health Network Canada.

The Health Network Canada would be launched that same month on September 7, 2001, opting to launch under the name Discovery Health Channel due to Discovery Communications newly acquired interest in the service. On the same day the Canadian channel launched, the American service, The Health Network, was removed from all Canadian television providers. In February the following year, The Health Network was removed from the lists of eligible foreign satellite services in Canada, by request of The Health Networks owners.

On January 18, 2008, a joint venture between Canwest and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners
Goldman Sachs Capital Partners
Goldman Sachs Capital Partners is the private equity arm of Goldman Sachs, focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments globally....

 known as CW Media bought Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. was a Toronto-based media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon and Sydney.Alliance Atlantis was acquired by Canwest...

 and through that transaction, acquired Alliance Atlantis' interest in Discovery Health. In 2009, CW Media purchased the remaining interest in the channel from Discovery Communications, bringing its ownership to 100%.

2010 rebranding

Two deals were announced in late 2009 and early 2010 affecting the future of the Canadian channel.

First, it was announced that the U.S. Discovery Health channel would be replaced with OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network
The Oprah Winfrey Network , named after talk-show presenter Oprah Winfrey, is an American specialty channel produced by Harpo Productions and Discovery Communications...

 in January 2011. OWN later reached an agreement with Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...

 to launch a Canadian version of that channel shortly after the U.S. version debuts.

Second, in April 2010, Discovery Communications announced an expanded long-term agreement with CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...

 (Discovery's Canadian partner for most of its other channels) under which CTV will hold Canadian broadcast rights to most of the Discovery Communications programming library, including Discovery Health programs, and the right to launch new Discovery-branded channels.

On September 15, 2010, Canwest announced Discovery Health Canada would rebrand as Twist TV on November 1. The rebranded channel will focus on reality shows about "people facing extraordinary situations."

On October 27, 2010, ownership changed once again as Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...

gained control of Discovery Health as a result of its acquisition of Canwest and Goldman Sachs' interest in CW Media. Five days later, the channel officially rebranded Twist TV.

Logos

2001–2007 2007–2010 2010–present
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