Much (TV channel)

Coordinates: 43°38′59″N 79°23′26″W / 43.64972°N 79.39056°W / 43.64972; -79.39056
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Taiwan channel, see Much TV.

Much
SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerBCE Inc.
ParentBell Media
Sister channelsCTV Comedy Channel
MTV
History
LaunchedAugust 31, 1984; 39 years ago (1984-08-31)
Former namesMuchMusic
(1984–2013; 2021–present)
Links
WebsiteMuch

Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. Prior to 2013, the channel was officially known as MuchMusic, though "Much" has been the branding most commonly seen on-air since 1997.

MuchMusic launched on August 31, 1984, under the ownership of CHUM Limited, and was originally focused on music programming, including blocks of music videos and original series focusing on Canadian musicians. In the years since its acquisition by Bell, Much has cancelled the majority of its music programming due to budget and staffing cuts. The TV channel was officially renamed "Much" in 2013 in reflection of its decreasing reliance on music-related programming.

Since 2021, the "MuchMusic" branding has been used exclusively for its digital media network, which operates in parallel with the linear "Much" TV channel.

History

Under CHUM (1984–2006)

MuchMusic was licensed on April 2, 1984, by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to CHUM Limited. It had faced competition from two other proposed services. One of them, CMTV Canadian Music Television, was deemed not to have sufficient financial resources. The third applicant was Rogers Radio Broadcasting. The CRTC believed that the Canadian market could only support one music video service and CHUM's proposal was chosen because of various commitments it had made and the company's expertise in music programming.[1] The station was initially patterned on City Limits, an overnight weekend rock music show which had aired on sister station CITY-TV since 1983.[2]

The MuchMusic World Headquarters is located on 299 Queen Street West in Downtown Toronto, as seen in April 2005.

Shortly thereafter, MuchMusic was launched on August 31, 1984, as one of the first Canadian cable specialty channels. It was headed by the channel's founders John Martin and Moses Znaimer. The first video played on MuchMusic was "an early music-to-film synchronization short from the 1920s which featured Eubie Blake performing Snappy Songs." The first video made specifically for television air play was Rush's "The Enemy Within".[3][4] MuchMusic's slogan, and on-air advertising, was "The Nation's Music Station".

Making use of CHUM's facilities and production teams, the channel produced many specialty musical and variety shows, including the long-running dance show

The New Music
also became integral parts of the MuchMusic schedule.

The channel's format consisted primarily of an eight-hour daily block which mixed scheduled shows with VJ-hosted general "videoflow", which would then be repeated two more times to fill the 24-hour schedule. Some variance from this model was seen with the late-night shows City Limits and Too Much 4 Much (a show that featured panel discussions surrounding controversial music videos that the channel had refused to air in regular rotation),[5] and live specials such as Intimate and Interactive.

For the first few years of the channel, it was classified as a pay television service and was therefore offered largely in bundles along with other pay-stations such as First Choice and TSN, and would occasionally offer free preview weekends for non-subscribers. The subscriber count was at 500,000 customers by December 1984. In December 1987, MuchMusic received permission from the CRTC to move to basic cable lineups beginning on September 1, 1988; in the interim cable operators could offer the channel as a negative-option expanded basic channel.[6][7]

A US version of MuchMusic, originally known as "MuchMusic USA", was launched in the U.S. on July 1, 1994, through a partnership with

Rainbow Media. The network was largely a simulcast of the Canadian version with U.S. advertising and acquired programs. The network would go into its own direction over time, eventually rebranding as Fuse in 2003.[8]

In 1995, the annual Canadian Music Video Awards were renamed to the "

MuchMusic Video Awards" (presently known as the "iHeartRadio MMVAs" as of 2018). Since 1996, the ceremonies have been held outside the formerly-named "MuchMusic Headquarters" on 299 Queen Street West, the present-day main offices for Bell Media's speciality channels.[9][10]

In 2002, MuchMusic introduced promos that consisted of one of twelve images of a VJ posing in front of the network's logo, lasting for only 1/60th of a second each. The "quickies" were recognized with a Guinness World Record for the world's shortest television commercial.[11]

Under Bell (2006–present)

In July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later called CTVglobemedia) announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billion CAD, included in the sale was MuchMusic. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007, while the

reality shows
.

In 2010, the CRTC rejected a request by CTVglobemedia to reduce the percentage of music video programming that the channel shows from 50 to 25 percent. CTV's second request to the CRTC to reduce and reposition its Canadian programming was also denied. For the reasoning behind these requests, CTV explained that "music videos no longer distinguish the service as they are readily available through other sources." This was met with mixed reaction by music fans and drew the ire of notable artists.[12][13][14][15]

Much HD logo

On June 1, 2011, MuchMusic launched its high definition simulcast feed.[16]

Beginning in September 2013, the channel would air more comedy programming targeting young adult men during the late afternoon and primetime hours, much of it moved from The Comedy Network. Such shows included Comedy Central series (such as South Park, Tosh.0 and The Jeselnik Offensive), reruns of The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show, as well as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Conan.[17][18] These changes came when Comedy's request for licence amendments to reduce requirements for Canadian content and increase the amount of animated programming it could air was denied.[19][20] Around the same time, the channel officially shortened its name to "Much"; while the "Much" shorthand had historically been used as part of its branding, the channel had still used "MuchMusic" as its main branding.

Most of the channel's previous non-music programming, such as

The Wedge, countdowns, and other non-hosted blocks of music videos, with New.Music.Live. confirmed to have been cancelled and the likes of RapCity no longer appearing on Much's schedule. By the summer of 2014, amidst production and staffing cutbacks, the Countdown went on hiatus and Much's remaining original shows, including a revamped Video on Trial, were cancelled.[22]

Meanwhile, in August, Much celebrated its 30th anniversary.[23] A half-hour anniversary special, 30 Years of Much, aired on August 30, 2014, and was preceded by a full-day countdown of The 100 Greatest Videos Ever.[24] Repeats of both the special and the countdown aired throughout the Labour Day weekend. On September 27, 2014, the Countdown returned with a revamped format.[25]

On April 1, 2015, Much announced the launch of Much Digital Studios (later renamed Much Studios), a production unit and

Crave.[27]

On August 12, 2016, Bell Media sold

Stingray Digital.[28] On September 1, 2016, M3 was shut down and replaced by Gusto
, a cooking and lifestyle-oriented TV network that Bell Media acquired, after the original Gusto TV closed in March 2016.

In late 2017, Much further cut back on music programming, reducing its music blocks to the morning hours and removing the Much Countdown from its schedule. MuchFACT was also discontinued, as a result of the CRTC having dropped the requirement for Much to fund it.[29][30] On October 11, 2017, Much premiered Sides*, a new talk show which discusses youth issues; it was streamed live on Twitter on weekdays, and a weekly highlight show aired on the Much channel.[31] In November 2017, Much began to air a Friday-night block known as Icons, which featured airings of music documentaries.[32]

In 2019, the daytime Playlist block of music videos was discontinued and replaced with library programming, citing decreased interest and viewership.[33] In addition, that year's MMVAs, which were moved to August the previous year, were delayed due to scheduling conflicts with the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.[34][35] The Much Retro Lunch block remained the only regularly-scheduled music video programming on the channel, with the network citing its popularity among youth as a factor.[33]

2021–present

On June 10, 2021, it was announced that the "MuchMusic" name would be revived for a new "digital-first" network to launch on July 7 in-partnership with TikTok. The network would feature new "creator-driven content", including revivals of old Much programming. Meanwhile, the linear TV channel would continue with its current format and programming under the "Much" brand.[36]

The channel's early history was chronicled in a 2023 documentary film by Sean Menard, titled 299 Queen Street West.[37] The film premiered at SXSW 2023, and was acquired by Crave to premiere in January 2024.[38]

Programming

Main article: List of programs broadcast by Much
Second Much logo used from 1993 to 1997. This symbol was first introduced in 1992
Third Much logo used from 1997 to 2011. This logo was used by MuchMusic in Latin America in 2007 until its closure in 2024.
First version of Much's current logo, used from April 1, 2011, to September 2013. The black and white print version was used as an alternate logo until 2013

Much's main programming includes original series from

CTV Comedy Channel) and other acquired comedies, reality shows, broadcasts of feature films, encores of shows seen on sibling networks, and reruns of other shows sourced from Bell Media's program libraries to fulfil Canadian content
requirements.

The network's music programming previously consisted of music video blocks seen on weekdays and the annual

The Wedge) and scripted series (such as The L.A. Complex and seasons 9–13 of Degrassi: The Next Generation, after its move from CTV
in 2010).

Relationship with MTV

Since its inception, Much has aired numerous programs acquired from

MTV Canada and MTV2 Canada as digital cable networks in 2001. Due to CRTC genre protection rules, MTV Canada was forbidden from unduly competing with existing analog channels, such as MuchMusic, and its license henceforth restricted the channel to only devoting 10% of its weekly programming to "music video clips".[citation needed
]

CHUM filed a complaint with the CRTC over MTV Canada in early-2002, alleging that 60% of the schedule contained music video programming. CHUM also alleged that the licensing deal with MTV was a "bait and switch" to encroach upon MuchMusic's protected format, rather than deliver the broadly teen-based channel it had promised in the licensing process.[39] Craig disputed the allegations as inaccurate, arguing that CHUM had incorrectly classified any programming "that has some connection to the general topic of music or music videos" (CRTC category 8a, "Music and dance other than music video programs or clips"), as counting as CRTC category 8b "music video clips" programming for the purposes of the complaint, and that it only aired two hours of purely music video-based programming per-day (accounting for 8% of weekly programming). Upon analysis of MTV Canada's programming, the CRTC ruled that music videos played within a category 8a program still counted as music video programming for the purposes of this limit, and found the network in violation of its licence for this and failure to deliver the broadly teen-based service it promised.[39][40] CHUM would later acquire Craig Media and both MTV-branded channels were re-launched in June 2005; with MTV becoming a youth entertainment channel called Razer, and MTV2 becoming an interactive channel called PunchMuch.[41][42]

In 2006, Viacom would partner with

Canadian incarnation of MTV. The agreement also gave the company rights to air MTV programming on other sibling outlets.[43][44]

Affiliated channels

With the success of MuchMusic, several spinoff channels have been launched within Canada and around the world, including

Former

International

Current

Past

  • MuchMusic Latin America: Launched in September 1992, originally available only in
    Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America as of April 8, 2022. Unlike its Canadian counterpart, and much like it’s Czech counterpart, it aired more music programming instead of comedy programming. The channel closed down in Latin America on February 29, 2024 with Glitz and I.Sat, after which the channel space created in 1992 ceased to exist.[48]
  • MuchMusic Video Awards
    .
  • MuchMusic Brasil: Launched in 2000. Ceased broadcasting in 2001.
  • MuchMusic also had a programming block on
    JYRKI
    .

Much personalities

VJs (1984–2014)

Several individuals have served as MuchMusic's on-air hosts, or video jockeys ("VJs"). A number of notable Canadian and American television personalities either began their careers at MuchMusic or spent time there. Among these are

Austin Powers movies; Sook-Yin Lee, now a noted CBC Radio host and actress; Terry David Mulligan, a prolific film and TV character actor; actress Amanda Walsh; Erica Ehm, who became a noted songwriter after leaving Much; and George Stroumboulopoulos, who became a television personality on CBC, U.S. network CNN and Sportsnet
.

Former

Some of the former Much VJs have moved onto other opportunities within Bell Media's entertainment brands like etalk and E!, but occasionally return for special Much events like the annual iHeartRadio Video Awards.

VJ Search

Main article:
MuchMusic VJ Search

Every few years, when new

MuchMusic VJ Search. As a result of that series, Tim Deegan
was chosen as a VJ. It was followed in 2009 by VJ 2.0, where the winner Liz Trinnear was also picked to join the channel. The final search, Much VJ Search, which Chloe Wilde won in 2013.

Much Creators (2015–2021)

With the launch of Much Digital Studios in April 2015, Much "Creators" were selected social media personalities, mostly established and emerging Canadian

2017 iHeartRadio MMVAs
. Much Creators was discontinued on July 7, 2021.

Former

See also

References

  1. ^ "CRTC Decision 1984-338". Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  2. ^ "TV stations start swinging to rock around the clock". The Globe and Mail, October 27, 1983.
  3. ^ "About Us". MuchMusic. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  4. ^ "Remembering MuchMusic's birth days". Toronto Star. Canadian Press. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  5. ^ "Former Much Music VJ, record exec Denise Donlon to receive Juno's Walt Grealis award". National Post. January 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  6. ISBN 9780819568700. Archived
    from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  7. ^ "MuchMusic looks back at its first 10 years". strategy. January 1, 1970. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  8. ISSN 0006-2510
    .
  9. ^ Whelan, Janna. "MuchMusic". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  10. ^ Vlessing, Etan (April 8, 2016). "Nick Jonas to Perform at iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "Now You See It". Adweek. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  12. ^ "CRTC denies MuchMusic's request to play fewer videos". Blogto.com. November 25, 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  13. ^ "This Magazine: Much, much less". Thismagazine.ca. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  14. ^ Whaley, Karen (March 3, 2008). "Much More Mediocre | news". Torontoist. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  15. ^ Nick Patch The Canadian Press (August 25, 2009). "MuchMusic turns 25...quietly". thestar.com. Toronto. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  16. ^ Who Would You Rather? Much HD or SD? Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine MuchMusic May 16, 2011
  17. ^ "Fall is Fresh on Much with Exclusive Season Premieres of Hit Series Tosh.0 and South Park, beginning September 3". Bell Media Press Room. August 26, 2013. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  18. ^ "MuchMusic featuring much less music in its fall lineup". Canada.com. August 20, 2013. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  19. ^ "Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-333". July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on September 19, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  20. ^ "The Comedy Network is not allowed to lighten up". Canada.com. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  21. ^ "Find Out Where Your Favourite Shows Moved With This Handy Guide". Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  22. ^ "Big changes at MTV, Much as Bell Media makes deep cuts to production staff" Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Edmonton Journal, July 10, 2014.
  23. ^ "Much Love to Our Fans for 30 Amazing Years". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  24. ^ "#ForeverYoung. Much Rings in its 30th with Anniversary Special and Legendary Videoflow Countdown". Bell Media Press Room. August 12, 2014. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  25. ^ "Irreverent Comedy, Musical Misadventures, and More. Much Gets Fresh with Exclusive Premieres and Returning Fan Favourites". Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  26. ^ "Much seeks YouTube creators to help freshen brand". Cartt.ca. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  27. ^ "CraveTV Announces New Original Series Inspired by the Popular MIKE ON MUCH Podcast". Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  28. ^ Stingray Grows Its Channel Portfolio With the Acquisition of Four (4) Bell Media Music Video Channels Archived May 7, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Stingray Press Releases June 21, 2016
  29. ^ "Bell Media axes MuchFact, leaving a gap in how Canadian music videos get funded". CBC News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  30. ^ "MuchFACT Is Now Officially Dead". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  31. ^ Cristano, Sara. "How (And Why) To Watch 'SIDES*'". Much. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  32. ^ "Much Launches New Music Anthology Series ICONS, Debuting November 17". November 1, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  33. ^ a b Friend, David. "How much music? About 1 hour a day, channel once known as MuchMusic says". Canadian Press. Archived from the original on March 9, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  34. ^ Vlessing, Etan (July 26, 2018). "'Crazy Rich Asians' Star Awkwafina to Host Canada's Much Music Video Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  35. ^ Ahern, Victoria. "Bell Media announces lineup, says iHeartRadio MMVAs will be delayed". toronto.citynews.ca. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  36. ^ "MuchMusic Returns as Content-Driven Digital First Network, July 7". Bell Media. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  37. ^ "Documentary featuring rise of MuchMusic to premiere at SXSW Film Festival" Archived February 7, 2023, at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Star, February 5, 2023.
  38. ^ "New on Crave: January 2024". MobileSyrup. December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  39. ^ a b "Chum complaint "an exercise in turf protection"". Mediacaster Magazine. February 1, 2002. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  40. ^ "Change in the ownership structure of MTV Canada and MTV2, and the Commission's findings concerning complaints regarding the compliance of these services with their licensing decisions". CRTC. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  41. ^ "CHUM to launch interactive, automated music video station". The Globe and Mail. June 29, 2007.
  42. ^ "CHUM Debuts Razer, PunchMuch". Billboard. June 8, 2005. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  43. ^ "CTV prepares to launch 'new' MTV Canada". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  44. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  45. ^ "Punch Much". Canadian Communications Foundation. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  46. ^ ":: MuchMusic festeja su decimoquinto aniversario en Argentina ::". Realtvnews.com.ar. August 17, 2005. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  47. ^ Schneider, Michael (March 12, 2019). "What the End of the Turner Brand Could Mean for Its Channels". Variety. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  48. ^ "Warner Bros. Discovery realizará el cierre de los canales i-Sat, Glitz* y MuchMusic en febrero (AC)". www.anmtvla.com. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  49. ^ "Much Announces Launch of Much Digital Studios". Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  50. ^ "Much Digital Studios Launches Today As Initial List of Creators Revealed – Bell Media". Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  51. ^ Bowsher, Allison. "Much Digital Studios Adds 15 Amazing New Creators To Line Up". Much.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.

Further reading

External links

43°38′59″N 79°23′26″W / 43.64972°N 79.39056°W / 43.64972; -79.39056

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