It’s the end of an era.
Toronto-based media company WildBrain is set to shut down four of its channels, including the iconic Canadian network Family Channel. On Monday, WildBrain announced that Family Channel (family), Family Jr. (preschool), WildBrainTV (six to 15) and Télémagino (French-language kids) are all “no longer commercially viable.”
WildBrain confirms that it had been unable to secure licencing deals with Bell and Rogers. The former had already removed WildBrain’s channels amid a dispute, leaving Rogers as their sole carrier. Now, WildBrain says Rogers will drop the channels at some point in the coming months.
This comes after WildBrain filed an appeal with the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), arguing that it was at an “undue disadvantage” in its dealings with the telecom giants. Ultimately, however, the CRTC sided with Bell and Rogers.
With this change, WildBrain will be leaving the channels business entirely. The company is otherwise best known for its many TV productions, which includes the various Peanuts programming for Apple TV+, Sonic Prime for Netflix and the upcoming Minecraft series for Netflix.
But while WildBrain will be fine, it’s nonetheless sad to see Family Channel go, in particular, given its legacy in Canada dating back to 1988. For many Millennials and the like, it was one of the main TV channels thanks to its offering of both Disney programming and original titles like Life with Derek.
Farewell, sweet prince.
Image credit: WildBrain
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