Drive-In Classics
Encyclopedia
Sundance Channel is a Canadian
English language
Category B specialty channel
owned by Corus Entertainment
. Sundance Channel airs programming focused on independent films, documentaries, music-series', dramas and more.
was given approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a national category 2 specialty channel known as "The Drive-In Channel", with programming described as being centred around "Drive-In B movies and series, as well as occasional magazine-style shows focusing on the genre".
The channel was launched only three months later, on September 7, 2001 at 9:00 p.m. EST
under the name "Drive-In Classics", which focused on showing primarily film
s from the B movie
genre, focusing on films popular at the drive-in theatres in the 1950s to 1970s, along with a number of television series including The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
and Xena: Warrior Princess
.
Programming on Drive-In Classics were organized into themes including: Martial Arts Mondays - fight-themed movies, Western Wednesdays - Western movies, Steamy Windshields (Fridays) - teenage-themed movies, Horror Marathon (Saturdays) - horror films and Salem's Lot, various films picked by host Rob Salem, which was ended on August 30, 2009.
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billion CAD
, included in the sale was Drive-In Classics. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007.
On July 14, 2009, CTVglobemedia announced the sale of Drive-In Classics, along with SexTV: The Channel
, to Corus Entertainment
for $40 million CAD
. Before the sale was approved, Corus had announced in late September that they planned to rebrand the channel, however, Corus did not give any specific details regarding the rebranding. The sale was approved by the CRTC on November 19.
, which would not own any stake in the Canadian channel. The channel was officially rebranded on March 1, 2010 as planned, focusing its programming on independent films, documentaries, scripted drams and comedies, musical performances, and more.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
English language
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...
Category B specialty channel
Specialty channel
A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic....
owned by Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...
. Sundance Channel airs programming focused on independent films, documentaries, music-series', dramas and more.
As Drive-In Classics
In June 2001, CHUM LimitedCHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
was given approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a national category 2 specialty channel known as "The Drive-In Channel", with programming described as being centred around "Drive-In B movies and series, as well as occasional magazine-style shows focusing on the genre".
The channel was launched only three months later, on September 7, 2001 at 9:00 p.m. EST
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
under the name "Drive-In Classics", which focused on showing primarily film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s from the B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
genre, focusing on films popular at the drive-in theatres in the 1950s to 1970s, along with a number of television series including The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein was a Canadian children's television series produced by Hamilton, Ontario's independent station CHCH-TV in 1971. It was syndicated to television stations across Canada and the United States and occasionally still appears today in some television markets...
and Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
.
Programming on Drive-In Classics were organized into themes including: Martial Arts Mondays - fight-themed movies, Western Wednesdays - Western movies, Steamy Windshields (Fridays) - teenage-themed movies, Horror Marathon (Saturdays) - horror films and Salem's Lot, various films picked by host Rob Salem, which was ended on August 30, 2009.
In July 2006, Bell Globemedia announced that it would purchase CHUM for an estimated $1.7 billion CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
, included in the sale was Drive-In Classics. The sale was subject to CRTC approval and was approved in June 2007, with the transaction completed on June 22, 2007.
On July 14, 2009, CTVglobemedia announced the sale of Drive-In Classics, along with SexTV: The Channel
SexTV: The Channel
W Movies is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel which focuses on films and film-related series aimed at women. It is a spinoff channel of W Network and is owned by Corus Entertainment.-As SexTV: The Channel:...
, to Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...
for $40 million CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
. Before the sale was approved, Corus had announced in late September that they planned to rebrand the channel, however, Corus did not give any specific details regarding the rebranding. The sale was approved by the CRTC on November 19.
As Sundance Channel
On December 8, Corus announced that Drive-In Classics would be rebranded as a Canadian version of Sundance Channel on March 1, 2010 under an agreement with the American channel's owner, Rainbow MediaRainbow Media
AMC Networks is an entertainment company in the United States that owns the national cable channels AMC, IFC, WE tv, and Sundance Channel; the regional News 12 Networks, the art house movie theater IFC Center in New York, New York, and the film company IFC Films.The company was originally launched...
, which would not own any stake in the Canadian channel. The channel was officially rebranded on March 1, 2010 as planned, focusing its programming on independent films, documentaries, scripted drams and comedies, musical performances, and more.