M3 (Canadian TV channel)

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"MuchMore" redirects here. For other uses, see Muchmore.
M3
CTVglobemedia (2007–2011)
(CTV Limited)
Bell Media (2011–2016)
Sister channelsCitytv (1998–2007)
CP24 (1998–2007)
Much (1998–2016)
MTV (2007–2016)
History
LaunchedOctober 5, 1998 (1998-10-05)
ClosedSeptember 1, 2016 (2016-09-01)
Replaced byGusto
Former namesMuchMoreMusic (1998–2009)
MuchMore (2009–2013)

M3 was a Canadian English language

Category A cable and satellite specialty channel owned by Bell Media. Established in 1998 as MuchMoreMusic, the network began as a spin-off of the youth-oriented MuchMusic, targeting an older demographic with adult contemporary and classic music videos, along with music news programs, concert specials, and pop culture programming (usually sourced from the U.S. network VH1
, which shared a similar positioning).

Under Bell ownership and its final branding as M3, and following the lead of its parent network, the channel adopted a general entertainment format and began to heavily downplay music programming outside non-peak hours (similar to Much at the time). On September 1, 2016, M3 was shut down and replaced under its license and most channel allotments by Gusto.

History

In June 1993, the

Melodic pop, soft rock, jazz, soul and blues" were to be some of the genres played by MuchMoreMusic; according to CHUM, the new channel would be able to provide such music to the "sizable" portion of its existing audience who enjoyed such softer music but could not find it reliably on MuchMusic.[4]

MuchMoreMusic logo used from 1998 to 2009

At a subsequent February 1994 public hearing, the CRTC reviewed a total of seven applications for music channels, comprising five country music channels, MuchMoreMusic, and CHUM's MusiquExtra, which was to be a French-language adult contemporary counterpart.

CMT).[6] Subsequently, the CRTC was criticized for passing only 10 of the 48 total applications.[7]

In January 1996, the next round of licensing began, drawing another 44 applications; CHUM submitted nine of these, including MuchMoreMusic and the French-language adult contemporary channel, now called

Canadian Learning Television and Computer Access, a later rejected computer education channel.[10]

MuchMoreMusic was licensed by the CRTC in 1996 (as well as some of CHUM's other proposals rejected in 1994, including

Space
, and Musimax); the channel was launched on October 5, 1998 under the ownership of CHUM Limited.

Logo as MuchMore, used from March 31, 2009 to September 30, 2013

In January 1999,

MuchMoreRetro
, which focuses exclusively on classic music videos.

On June 22, 2007, CTVglobemedia gained control of MuchMoreMusic as a result of a takeover of CHUM Limited. On March 31, 2009, MuchMoreMusic was relaunched with a new on-air format and subsequently was renamed MuchMore. The changeover took effect at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, with the first edition of the newly branded morning video flow series Juiced! Ownership changed hands once again when Bell Canada gained 100% control of CTVglobemedia's assets, including MuchMore, resulting in MuchMore being taken over by Bell Media on April 1, 2011.

As M3

On September 19, 2013, Bell announced that MuchMore would be relaunched as M3 on September 30, shifting towards an entertainment-oriented "superstation" format with a focus on newly-acquired dramas and comedies alongside music programming. Unlike MuchMore, which was marketed as a spin-off of MuchMusic, M3 was marketed as a separate brand to quell concerns over viewers incorrectly suggesting that the network was catered towards a youth demographic due to its similar name. A high definition feed was also launched.[13][14]

After the relaunch, MuchMoreRetro was rebranded as MuchRetro, aligning the channel with the Much brand. The MuchMore Countdown became the M3 Countdown and was relaunched with a new format on January 18, 2014.[15] It was the last remaining original music-related program on the network. Juiced was cancelled following the rebrand and M3Top20.ca (formerly known as MMMTop20.ca and, later, MMTop20.ca), a viewer-voted countdown show, was removed from the schedule in the spring of 2014.

On September 7, 2014, M3 debuted a new countdown show called the Retro 30. Replacing the M3 Countdown, Retro 30 focuses on "the biggest news, events and artists of a specific day of a year".[16] Following its introduction, the network began adding more retro videos into its rotation. In January 2015, M3 debuted a new country music block: the M3 Country Brunch. Retro 30 was cancelled in 2015 and the Country Brunch block was later removed from the schedule.

On September 1, 2016, M3 was replaced on its CRTC license and channel allotments by Gusto, a food and lifestyle-oriented network. A prior incarnation of the network was operated by Knight Enterprises under a Category B license; the company sold the Canadian rights to the Gusto brand and programming to Bell Media, and the channel was taken over by Bell Media via M3's license.[17]

Programming

For a more comprehensive list, see List of programs broadcast by M3.

Programming on M3 primarily consisted of dramas, sitcoms, reality shows, and theatrically-released films. M3 often carried same-week encores of programming aired on CTV and CTV Two, as well as off-network repeats of shows that aired on other Bell Media-owned channels.

Music videos were broadcast from 6:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m ET on weekdays, and 6:00 a.m to 10:00 a.m ET on weekends. Originally, the channel's music content was aligned towards lighter genres of music. Under the MuchMore branding, the channel began airing a more

pop-driven
rotation of videos.

As noted before, M3 was marketed as a "superstation" and a separate channel from Much. Though both channels had diverged from their original purpose, Much still retained its music-based format while expanding to focus on pop culture and adopting more younger-skewing programming (The music-based format has since been removed, as Much eventually changed its demographic to male).

Notable former personalities

References

  1. ISSN 0319-0714
  2. ISSN 0319-0714
  3. ISSN 0319-0781
  4. ^
    ISSN 0384-1294
  5. ISSN 0839-3222
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ISSN 0319-0781
  8. ISSN 0319-0781
  9. Canadian Press
    (1996-04-25). "MuchMusic for boomers to be a kinder, gentler affair (MuchMoreMusic)". Canadian Press NewsWire.
  10. ISSN 0319-0781
  11. ISSN 0319-0714
  12. ^
    ISSN 0006-2510
  13. ^ "MuchMore changes the channel, rebrands as M3". Marketing Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  14. ^ "MuchMore channel to become M3 in the fall". Toronto Star. July 26, 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  15. ^ "5 Days to Go: Counting Down to the New M3 COUNTDOWN Hosted by Matt Wells, Premiering Jan. 18". Bell Media. January 13, 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  16. ^ M3 IS GOING BACK IN TIME WITH RETRO 30!. M3 News, Wednesday, September 3, 2014.
  17. ^ "UPDATED: Bell TV dropping several channels, including CNBC, Shopping Channel". Cartt.ca. Retrieved 24 August 2016.(subscription required)
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