Current TV coming to Canada this fall

The CRTC has approved a bid by CBC to bring its former Newsworld International channel back to Canada, under a new name and in partnership with former US vice president Al Gore. The channel is expected to launch in the fall, once the CBC receives final approval from Treasury Board. Decision 2009-335 gives CBC the green light to launch Current Canada, a Category 2 digital specialty channel modeled on its US equivalent, Current TV. The US cable channel, which features short video items submitted by viewers, was re-branded from Newsworld International in 2004 when the CBC-owned service was purchased by Gore. Current Canada will be a fully integrated web and TV platform targeted at young adults. CBC estimates that nearly one-third of the channel’s programming will be created by viewers. The CRTC decision requires that 35% of user-submitted content be Canadian. “Current is at the forefront of the global media revolution and Current Canada is our next step forward," Gore said in a statement last November. “By creating a cable network that works in concert with our online community, Current is facilitating a global conversation with our young adult audience.” Current TV is owned by Current Media Canada ULC, which is 80% owned by CBC Current Media Canada Holdings Inc. and 20% by Current Media Canada LLC, a non-Canadian corporation.

Current TV coming to Canada this fall

Brief | June 11, 2009

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