HBO Canada
Encyclopedia
HBO Canada is a Canadian
television channel, which airs programming sourced from the HBO subscription service in the United States
. HBO Canada is not available as a standalone channel, but as one channel within the TMN
and Movie Central
multiplexes.
On September 22, 2008, TMN and Movie Central announced they would jointly begin offering a dedicated HBO multiplex channel (in both standard definition and high definition formats) on October 30. For TMN subscribers, HBO Canada replaced MMore and MMore HD, while for Movie Central subscribers, HBO Canada replaced Movie Central 4 and Movie Central 1 HD.
Although some HBO programming already aired in Canada on services such as TMN, Movie Central and Showcase, many other programs from the network have not been widely available in Canada, and the new channel was intended to fill the gap. A selection of Canadian films and series also airs to satisfy Canadian content
requirements. The services' intention was that HBO programming would eventually air solely on HBO Canada, as opposed to any of the other TMN / Movie Central multiplex channels.
The HBO Canada schedule is common to both services, with the exception of Eastern (TMN) / Mountain (MC) timeshifting. Although essentially operating as a joint venture of Astral and Movie Central's parent company Corus Entertainment
, the east and west feeds are technically separate channels wholly owned by the parent company of the applicable regional service. HBO's parent company Time Warner
is not a shareholder, and only licenses the name
to Astral and Corus.
Unlike the other multiplex channels offered by TMN and MC, both the standard-definition and high-definition HBO Canada feeds (East/West) are available nationally to those television providers who wish to carry them.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television channel, which airs programming sourced from the HBO subscription service in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. HBO Canada is not available as a standalone channel, but as one channel within the TMN
The Movie Network
The Movie Network is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service, owned by Astral Media. The service is licensed to operate east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, excluding the territories...
and Movie Central
Movie Central
Movie Central is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service. Movie Central is designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories...
multiplexes.
On September 22, 2008, TMN and Movie Central announced they would jointly begin offering a dedicated HBO multiplex channel (in both standard definition and high definition formats) on October 30. For TMN subscribers, HBO Canada replaced MMore and MMore HD, while for Movie Central subscribers, HBO Canada replaced Movie Central 4 and Movie Central 1 HD.
Although some HBO programming already aired in Canada on services such as TMN, Movie Central and Showcase, many other programs from the network have not been widely available in Canada, and the new channel was intended to fill the gap. A selection of Canadian films and series also airs to satisfy Canadian content
Canadian content
Canadian content refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requirements that radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of content that was at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to by persons from...
requirements. The services' intention was that HBO programming would eventually air solely on HBO Canada, as opposed to any of the other TMN / Movie Central multiplex channels.
The HBO Canada schedule is common to both services, with the exception of Eastern (TMN) / Mountain (MC) timeshifting. Although essentially operating as a joint venture of Astral and Movie Central's parent company 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...
, the east and west feeds are technically separate channels wholly owned by the parent company of the applicable regional service. HBO's parent company Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
is not a shareholder, and only licenses the name
Brand licensing
Licensing means renting or leasing of an intangible asset. Examples of intangible assets include a song , a character , a name or a brand . An arrangement to license a brand requires a licensing agreement...
to Astral and Corus.
Unlike the other multiplex channels offered by TMN and MC, both the standard-definition and high-definition HBO Canada feeds (East/West) are available nationally to those television providers who wish to carry them.
TV series
- Bloodletting & Miraculous CuresBloodletting & Miraculous CuresBloodletting & Miraculous Cures is a short story collection by Vincent Lam, published in 2006. The book, inspired by Lam's own experiences in medical school and as a professional physician, is a volume of interconnected short stories about the lives and relationships of Fitzgerald, Ming, Chen and...
- Call Me FitzCall Me FitzCall Me Fitz is a Canadian television series produced by E1 Entertainment, Amaze Film & Television, and Big Motion Pictures. The half-hour comedy stars Jason Priestley as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick, a morally bankrupt used-car salesman whose consequence-free life is complicated by the arrival of...
- Good DogGood DogGood Dog is a Canadian television comedy-drama series which runs on HBO Canada. The show follows the life of character George, a role that Ken Finkleman is reprising from The Newsroom.-Characters:...
- Less Than KindLess Than KindLess Than Kind is a Canadian television comedy-drama series that stars Jesse Camacho as Sheldon Blecher, a teenager growing up in a loving but dysfunctional Jewish family in Winnipeg. The show's cast also includes Maury Chaykin and Wendel Meldrum as Sheldon's parents, Benjamin Arthur as his older...
- Living in Your CarLiving in Your CarLiving in Your Car is a Canadian television comedy-drama series that debuted on May 7, 2010 on HBO Canada.The series stars John Ralston as Steve Unger, a former high-flying corporate executive struggling to rebuild his life after being indicted on fraud, obstruction and racketeering charges...
- The YardThe YardThe Yard is a six-part half-hour miniseries that originally aired on HBO Canada.-The Good Guys:*Nick - played by Quintin Colantoni, the eleven-year-old Capo of The Yard, quintessentially cool and a hard-nosed realist, he is also an astute reader of human nature. He is wise beyond his years, and is...