OUTtv (Canadian TV channel)
OUTtv is a Canadian category 1 digital cable television channel, which was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on March 4, 2005. It is a LGBT lifestyle and general entertainment channel.
It is a spinoff of the LGBT channel PrideVision. OUTtv took over the day-to-day programming of PrideVision including programming such as exercise, travel, cuisine, documentaries, and more as well as its category 1 status, with PrideVision becoming a 24/7 LGBT adult entertainment subscription based station, a category 2 channel, and now renamed HARD on PrideVision. The expected launch date was set to April 7 2005, but the new channel went on the air on April 12 due to difficulties with digital cable and satellite providers.
The channel was dealing with problems with digital cable provider Shaw Communications, since they wanted OUTtv to be a standalone channel with a price of $7 to $9 a month, twelve times higher than any other Category 1 channel. There was also a setback with satellite provider Bell ExpressVu (owned by Bell Canada) as they try to constrain the distribution of OUTtv compared to CTV Travel, a category 1 channel owned by Bell. Both providers control up to 70% of Canada's digital subscribers.
As of August 2005, OUTtv ended their disagreement with Shaw Communications and Bell Canada now has a packaging agreement with Bell Expressvu, StarChoice and Shaw Cable. This new agreement allows subscribers on these systems to add OUTtv as standalone channel or it can be added with existing channels by subscribing to a new package.
OUTtv's licensee is 6166954 Canada Inc. which is 80.2% owned by William Craig, 9.9% owned by PrideVision Inc., and 9.9% owned by other companies (including Pink Triangle Press).
In late 2005 it became available in Australia via SelecTV.
Noted Programs
- Queer As Folk reruns
- Naked News Daily Male
- Out in the City
- SoGay TV
- I Now Pronounce You...
- COVERguy
- QueerEdge
- Bump!
- So Graham Norton