Viewers Choice
Encyclopedia
Viewers Choice is a Canadian English language
regional pay-per-view
and Near Video on Demand
service that is designated to operate east of the Manitoba
-Ontario
border, excluding the territories.
Viewers Choice is owned by Viewers Choice Canada Inc., which is majority owned by Astral Media
, with minority partners CTV Specialty Television Inc. and Rogers Media
.
channels. Programming on Viewers Choice includes movies, concerts, live boxing, UFC
, WWE
and TNA
wrestling, World Series of Poker
and other special events. Adult content is also available through the Adam and Eden services. Adam features content for gay men while Eden features content of interest to straight men.
In an effort to compete with the video on demand
services offered by cable companies, Viewers Choice has launched "All Day Ticket". It allows the viewer to purchase a movie for a 24-hour time period until 6 a.m. the next day. They are allowed to view it as often as they wish until the time period expires.
Viewers Choice is carried by various Canadian digital television
companies including Rogers Digital Cable
and Vidéotron
.
Until 2007, the pay-per-view service
now owned by Shaw Communications
, which was originally restricted to Western Canada
, shared the Viewers Choice name and used the same satellite feeds. On December 27, 2007, Shaw Broadcast Services switched all of their pay-per-view feeds to their own proprietary pay-per-view service, which is now licensed to operate nationally, displacing Viewers Choice from Shaw and Star Choice (now Shaw Direct), as well as any other system that receives their pay-per-view feeds via Shaw Broadcast. As a result, and since the only other satellite distributor, Bell TV, offers its own pay-per-view service (known as Vu!), carriage of Viewers Choice is now restricted to cable systems and other providers with a terrestrial fibre connection to Viewers Choice master control.
Viewers Choice Canada Inc. was originally the largest shareholder and managing partner (40%) in the French language
pay-per-view service, Canal Indigo
. However, on March 20, 2008, Groupe TVA announced they will be purchasing Viewers Choice and the remaining stakeholders interest's in the service. The sale was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) later that year and Viewers Choice now no longer holds any interest in the service.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
regional pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
and Near Video on Demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
service that is designated to operate east of the Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
-Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
border, excluding the territories.
Viewers Choice is owned by Viewers Choice Canada Inc., which is majority owned by Astral Media
Astral Media
Astral Media Inc. is a Canadian media corporation. It is Canada's largest radio broadcaster with 83 radio stations in eight provinces, and is a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, including The Movie Network, Super Écran, Family, Teletoon, Canal D, Canal Vie, VRAK.TV,...
, with minority partners CTV Specialty Television Inc. and Rogers Media
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
.
Channels and content
The Viewers Choice pay-per-view service consists of 45 standard definition channels and two high-definition televisionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
channels. Programming on Viewers Choice includes movies, concerts, live boxing, UFC
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
, WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
and TNA
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
wrestling, World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
and other special events. Adult content is also available through the Adam and Eden services. Adam features content for gay men while Eden features content of interest to straight men.
In an effort to compete with the video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
services offered by cable companies, Viewers Choice has launched "All Day Ticket". It allows the viewer to purchase a movie for a 24-hour time period until 6 a.m. the next day. They are allowed to view it as often as they wish until the time period expires.
Viewers Choice is carried by various Canadian digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
companies including Rogers Digital Cable
Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
and Vidéotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
.
Until 2007, the pay-per-view service
Shaw PPV
Shaw PPV is a Canadian English and French language pay-per-view service owned by Shaw Pay-Per-View Limited, a division of Shaw Communications. Shaw PPV is carried by Shaw Direct, Shaw Cable and others....
now owned by 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...
, which was originally restricted to Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
, shared the Viewers Choice name and used the same satellite feeds. On December 27, 2007, Shaw Broadcast Services switched all of their pay-per-view feeds to their own proprietary pay-per-view service, which is now licensed to operate nationally, displacing Viewers Choice from Shaw and Star Choice (now Shaw Direct), as well as any other system that receives their pay-per-view feeds via Shaw Broadcast. As a result, and since the only other satellite distributor, Bell TV, offers its own pay-per-view service (known as Vu!), carriage of Viewers Choice is now restricted to cable systems and other providers with a terrestrial fibre connection to Viewers Choice master control.
Viewers Choice Canada Inc. was originally the largest shareholder and managing partner (40%) in the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
pay-per-view service, Canal Indigo
Canal Indigo
Canal Indigo is a Canadian French language pay-per-view and Near Video on Demand provider owned by Vidéotron. The service launched on August 26, 1996.-Channels and content:...
. However, on March 20, 2008, Groupe TVA announced they will be purchasing Viewers Choice and the remaining stakeholders interest's in the service. The sale was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) later that year and Viewers Choice now no longer holds any interest in the service.